Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a House Freedom Caucus founder whose name has been in the mix to replace Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as House speaker, reputedly knew about the Ohio State University team doctor allegedly molesting students while he was a coach at the school but did nothing to stop it, NBC News reports. "[Jordan is] a great guy … so it's sad for me to hear that he's denying knowing about" the allegations against Dr. Richard Strauss, said Dunyasha Yetts, who wrestled at the school between 1993 and 1994 and claims he personally told Jordan about the alleged abuse. "I don't know why he would, unless it's a cover-up. Either you're in on it, or you're a liar."
Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at OSU between 1986 and 1994, and he has maintained to The Columbus Dispatch that "I had not heard about any type of abuse at all."
"I love Jimmy to death," said another former wrestler. "It was a head-scratcher to me why he would say he didn't know anything. 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."
Former wrestler Mike DiSabato claimed to the law firm representing OSU that "Strauss sexually assaulted male athletes in at least 15 varsity sports" and that "based on testimony from victim athletes ... we estimate that Strauss sexually assaulted and/or raped a minimum of 1,500/2,000 athletes at OSU from 1978 through 1998."
Yetts expressed his frustration with Jordan's denials by telling NBC, "For God's sake, Strauss' locker was right next to Jordan's and Jordan even said he'd kill him if he tried anything with him." Strauss died in 2005 of suicide. Read more about the allegations at NBC News.