As a leader of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, Rep. Jim Jordan (R.-OH) is one of the commissars of ideological purity within the GOP. Less concerned about governing than in being purely ideological, Jordan and his followers regularly grind Congress to a halt by refusing to go along with anything that compromises their far-right ideas.
But Jordan now has a problem on his hands. Three former Ohio State wrestlers say that Jordan had to know that the team doctor was sexually abusing them when Jordan was the assistant coach for the team.
“I considered Jim Jordan a friend,” Mike DiSabato told NBC News. “But at the end of the day, he is absolutely lying if he says he doesn’t know what was going on.”
Jordan served as assistant coach for the wrestling team from 1986 to 1994. The doctor in question, Richard Strauss, was the athletic director doctor from 1981 to 1995. He committed suicide in 2005.
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The wrestlers approached the university earlier this year after the conviction of Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. DiSabato said that Strauss assaulted at least 15 student-athletes, not just wrestlers, during his time at OSU.
The wrestlers claim that Strauss’s abuse was an open secret. “Doc used to take showers with the team even though he didn’t do any workouts, and everybody used to snicker about how you go into his office for a sore shoulder and he tells you to take your pants down,” an unnamed athlete said.
Dunyasha Yetts, who wrestled in 1993 and 1994, told NBC that Jordan and former head coach Russ Hellickson were told about Strauss’s abuse.
“I remember I had a thumb injury and went into Strauss’ office and he started pulling down my wrestling shorts,” he said. “I’m like, what the f— are you doing? And I went out and told Russ and Jim what happened. I was not having it. They went in and talked to Strauss.”
“For God’s sake, Strauss’s locker was right next to Jordan’s and Jordan even said he’d kill him if he tried anything with him,” Yetts added.
However, DiSabato says that when he reached out to Jordan to let him know he was asking the university to look into Strauss’s behavior, Jordan told him, “Please leave me out of it.”
Jordan denies knowing anything about Strauss’s alleged abuse. In a statement, his office said, “Congressman Jordan never saw any abuse, never heard about any abuse, and never had any abuse reported to him during his time as a coach at Ohio State. He has not been contacted by investigators about the matter but will assist them in any way they ask, because if what is alleged is true, the victims deserve a full investigation and justice.”
DiSabato, who recorded athletes recounting their encounters with Strauss, says that “based on testimony from victim athletes from each of the aforementioned varsity sports, we estimate that Strauss sexually assaulted and/or raped a minimum of 1,500/2,000 athletes at OSU from 1978 through 1998.”
OSU is conducting an investigation into the charges. So far, it has interviewed 150 people. No doubt, because of his former position, Jordan will end up having to explain what he knew.
Celtic
Jim Jordan is one very nasty pile of s**t. I suspect he was dabbling along with others. He is mean, angry and hostile. Would not be at all surprised if participated.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
SHOCKING!! not really,…
Kangol
Jim Jordan is a dimwitted Republican wannabe fascist Trumpkinite who embarrassed himself in the public hearing the other day with Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein. Is anyone really surprised that this creep Jordan may have done zilch to stop the sexual abuse of these young men? He should never have been elected to the House in the first place, but then the GOP shouldn’t be in control because they always end up screwing the country over by the time they’re done.
iowaman7
You’re a little late to the party with this story, but never mind. The point is that it would have been totally okay to say “Jim Jordan” in your headline. Oh, that’s right: clickbait
Kieran
And if Jim Jordan had said something about Dr Strauss perhaps being gay and demanding he be removed because some members thought he was gay….then there’d be people denouncing him as homophobic. This is only a story here on “free of an agenda” queerty because Jordan is not a lefty democrat.
Kangol
You really seem to defend right-wing homophobes at all costs. Right-wing moron Jim Jordan didn’t do the right thing, so your counterfactual doesn’t hold water at all. He looked the other way, protecting himself, as they young men were being sexually abused. He’s complicit. He should own it, and suffer the consequences.
Prax07
Sounds a bit like Penn State and that scumbag Paterno.
Bob LaBlah
This guy looks the type who loved water sports while in college. I see Fraternity X/Sketchy Sex written all over his face.
GetReal101
The “abuse’ allegedly occurred over two decades ago and the “abusive” doctor committed suicide subsequently. Why re-open the wounds that would have been healed? They won’t have a case anyway but they feel like they have to blame someone for their own misfortune. You have to wonder if the whole thing is a political plot designed to destroy or damage an opponent.
jckfmsincty
Yeah, just act like it never happened. But, don’t forget Hillary’s e mails.