On Wednesday, Ohio State University announced its decision to pay around $100 million to resolve legal claims brought forth by numerous former student athletes who alleged they were sexually abused by a university physician decades ago.
The institution has been engaged in legal disputes in federal court since 2018, facing lawsuits from former athletes regarding the university’s inaction against Dr. Richard Strauss, who was accused of misconduct during his tenure.
Dr. Strauss was affiliated with Ohio State from 1978 until 1998 and also managed a clinic off-campus. He passed away in 2005.
During a board meeting on Wednesday, the university’s Board of Trustees reached a preliminary agreement with nearly all of the 280 survivors currently involved in ongoing litigation, with the exception of one. If finalized, this settlement could bring an end to a protracted legal struggle and help close a painful chapter in the institution’s history.
“The individuals who suffered due to Strauss’s actions are part of the Buckeye family and community, and I genuinely believe that,” stated Ohio State’s president, Ravi Bellamkonda, during the meeting. “We are incredibly thankful for their bravery in coming forward, and achieving a final resolution is crucial for us and represents an important step forward.”
An independent investigation conducted years prior revealed that many Ohio State officials had been aware of complaints regarding Strauss’s conduct since 1979 but took little action to address the allegations for several years.
In a collective statement on Wednesday, both the university and the plaintiffs expressed gratitude to the mediators involved and indicated they were finalizing the settlement details.
Previously, Ohio State had already reached settlements totaling over $61 million with 317 survivors. Many of these agreements included confidentiality clauses that kept the identities of the victims private. Among those affected were former professional football players, as noted by an attorney involved in one of the lawsuits.
Two survivors, Steve Snyder-Hill and Ron McDaniel, who were former student athletes, shared their experiences with “CBS Mornings” in 2018 regarding their interactions with the late physician.
He also mentioned that after he reported an incident, a letter from the director of student health services stated that “no complaints had ever been received about Dr. Strauss before.” However, McDaniel asserted that Strauss’s inappropriate behavior had been widely known.
“We thought we were doing the right thing by informing our coach,” McDaniel explained. “We relied on the athletic department, including coaches, trainers, and doctors, to take appropriate action.”
