Report finds Ohio State doc abused 177, officials were aware

A now-dead Ohio State team doctor sexually abused at least 177 male students over nearly two decades, and university officials knew what he was doing and did little to stop him, according to an investigative report released by the school Friday.

Dr Richard Strauss groped, ogled or otherwise took advantage of young men from 1979 to 1997 nearly his entire time at Ohio State while treating athletes from at least 16 sports and working at the student health center and his off-campus clinic, investigators from a law firm hired by the university found.

The report on Strauss, who took his life in 2005, could cost Ohio State heavily by bolstering the lawsuits brought against it by a multitude of victims.

The findings put Strauss in a league with gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar of Michigan State University, who was accused of molesting at least 250 women and girls and is serving what amounts to a life sentence.

Michigan State ultimately agreed to a USD 500 million settlement with his victims.

In issuing the report, Ohio State President Michael Drake offered "profound regret and sincere apologies to each person who endured Strauss' abuse."
The students described the examinations as being "hazed" or going through a "rite of passage."
Athletes joked about Strauss' behaviour, referring to him with nicknames like "Dr Jelly Paws."
Those included forcing student patients to strip naked to purportedly "assess" their conditions; fondling their genitals to the point of erection or ejaculation; and luring them into intimate situations by setting up bogus "medical studies."
"If OSU refuses to take responsibility, we will continue with civil litigation and put this in front of a jury for 12 people to judge their actions."