‘Surviving Ohio State’ is tough to observe, however the survivors deserve for us to bear witness

Content material warning: This story, and the ‘Surviving Ohio State’ documentary, comprise references to and descriptions of sexual abuse and assault which may be disturbing for readers and viewers.

I’ve lived within the Atlanta metro space for nearly 20 years, however I’m an Ohio State fan, born and bred. I realized the phrases to Carmen Ohio across the time I realized to speak. Once I was a child, I used to be allowed to say the phrase “rattling,” however provided that I used to be proclaiming that I don’t give a rattling about the entire state of Michigan. Earlier than my daughters might pronounce the phrases “Go Bucks,” they had been yelling “Doh Butts” each Saturday within the fall, which is shut sufficient once you’re indoctrinating your toddlers along with your sports activities fandom.

However one facet impact of working on this discipline is: The must be goal tends to empty the homerism out of you. I nonetheless love the Ohio State Buckeyes. I yell “O-H” at each stranger I see sporting an Ohio State shirt, irrespective of the place I’m, and I like getting that “I-O” again — it looks like house. Watching the Buckeyes roll by means of the postseason to win the primary NCAA soccer Nationwide Championship of the expanded Faculty Soccer Playoff period was a balm for my soul proper after my dad handed away in January.

However over the course of my profession I’ve realized to stability the thrill of sports activities in opposition to the problems which can be bigger than sports activities. In relation to the Buckeyes, the largest situation for me for the previous few years has been absolutely the rage I’m experiencing over the abuse endured by Ohio State athletes from Dr. Richard Strauss, and the college and public’s response to it.

HBO launched a documentary Tuesday referred to as ‘Surviving Ohio State’, and it’s a must-watch, although it’s removed from a simple watch.

Listed below are six issues it’s worthwhile to find out about ‘Surviving Ohio State’ and the encircling scandal.

Ohio State knew the whole lot, they usually lined it up

One facet of this story that the documentary lays naked is strictly what number of alternatives Ohio State needed to shield student-athletes, and what number of occasions they failed Strauss’s survivors.

When student-athletes acquired exams or remedy from Strauss, even when the problem was a separated shoulder for a wrestler or a lower on a fencer’s ear, the examination would come with a genital examination. Some gamers hadn’t actually had physicals earlier than and didn’t know what to anticipate. Others had a sense that it was incorrect, however feared difficult Strauss — extensively revered in his discipline and at Ohio State College — would jeopardize their scholarships or capability to take part of their respective sports activities. When athletes did point out being uncomfortable with Strauss and his strategy to authority figures like then-wrestling coach Russ Hellickson and assistant-coach-turned-Congressman Jim Jordan, the overall response was principally a shrug — as a result of it wasn’t a shock to them.

When complaints had been made, no person requested the student-athletes about them. No one talked to the coaches or the trainers. There was no effort made to guard student-athletes. Interval.

And evidently Strauss, famend for his experience on anabolic steroids, might have been juicing athletes with out their specific data, understanding or approval, giving him one other layer of energy over these college students. It’s laborious for survivors to talk up; it’s even tougher to problem the habits of a predator ready of authority and energy when that particular person actually holds your athletic eligibility of their arms.

As an alternative of taking this critically and eradicating Strauss from a place of energy over these athletes, the College allowed him to additionally observe on the scholar well being heart, the place he might prey on college students who weren’t athletes, too. Ohio State’s personal investigation uncovered 177 male college students who’re survivors of Strauss, and it decided the College was conscious of what Strauss was doing and did completely nothing to cease it, which allowed the overall variety of survivors to achieve a staggering 2,800.

From the report:

Ohio State condemns Strauss’ reprehensible conduct and the college’s failure on the time to forestall the abuse. Ohio State has expressed and continues to precise remorse and honest apologies to every particular person impacted by Strauss’ abuse and thanks the survivors for courageously bringing Strauss’ abuse to mild.

And regardless of Ohio State acknowledging the college’s failures right here, they pushed for the survivors’ lawsuit to be dropped based mostly on the statute of limitations. The court docket dominated in opposition to that, so the civil go well with continues.

Some survivors have settled, and lots of have a Most Favored Nations clause of their settlement agreements that ensures if different survivors obtain the next settlement, the college must pay the survivors with that clause the distinction between their preliminary settlement and the upper settlement quantity acquired by different survivors. That’s why persevering with to push for a good settlement from the college is so necessary, along with arising with an quantity that’s truly a deterrent to forestall Ohio State from turning a blind eye to abuse ever once more.

Fencing coach Charlotte Reminyik was the exception

Reminyik, who was a Hungarian-born fencing champion, grew to become Ohio State’s ladies’s fencing coach in 1978 and later took on the lads’s head teaching function too. She tried for a few decade to get the college to do one thing in regards to the abuse Strauss was inflicting on student-athletes.

Male fencers had approached her about inappropriate habits and exams from Strauss, and he or she did the suitable factor and reported it — solely to be instructed that it was rumour, they usually wanted proof to take motion. Pupil-athletes had quite a lot of causes to not need to come ahead — not the least of which was the concern of shedding their scholarships — however that didn’t cease Reminyik from persevering with to escalate these experiences to the Athletic Administrators regularly.

John Lombardo, who was the medical director of the OSU Sports activities Medication Middle and head group doctor and medical director for the OSU Athletic Division, mentioned Reminyik’s ongoing pursuit of penalties for Strauss amounted to 10 years of complaints “with no basis.” He shared below oath throughout a deposition that he did have a duty to maintain student-athletes protected. He didn’t do this. No one at Ohio State did.

It wasn’t simply wrestlers who survived Strauss’ abuse

As I discussed beforehand, not solely did Ohio State fail to cease Strauss, they promoted him and let him see sufferers at Ohio State’s scholar well being heart. Stephen Snyder-Hill went to the well being heart to get a lump on his chest checked out, and throughout the examination, Strauss exhibited extraordinarily inappropriate sexual habits. Snyder-Hill reported it — since he wasn’t a student-athlete, Strauss didn’t have the identical energy over him.

There was a gathering with Pupil Companies, Snyder-Hill and Strauss, wherein Strauss dramatically denied the allegations and gaslit Snyder-Hill into questioning his reminiscence of his personal expertise. Snyder-Hill agreed to drop the grievance if there weren’t some other related complaints about Strauss. After all there have been, however Pupil Companies lied to Snyder-Hill about it. He requested for written affirmation, and although they appeared to balk at first, the college did give it to him — etching that lie into historical past. In the meantime, Strauss was by no means reported to the medical board, however Strauss did report Dr. Ted Grace, who was then the Director of Pupil Well being Companies at Ohio State, to the medical board for questioning whether or not or not Strauss was abusing sufferers.

Strauss had lockers in numerous sports activities’ locker rooms, and labored with athletes from quite a lot of sports activities, together with hockey. Former OSU hockey participant Al Novakowski, who participated within the documentary, was assaulted by Strauss as a student-athlete, and the emotional and psychological well being influence on him led to him being kicked off the group. He additionally was drugged and sexually assaulted by Strauss after going to the coed well being heart and being handled by him as soon as once more.

Wrestling official Frederick Feeney shared within the documentary that he, too, is a survivor of Strauss’s sexual assault and harassment. After officiating a match, Feeney went to the locker room to bathe earlier than leaving, and Strauss was, as soon as once more, extraordinarily sexually inappropriate, following Feeney to the bathe, taking the bathe instantly subsequent to Feeney in an in any other case empty room, after which masturbating and inappropriately touching Feeney. When Feeney spoke to wrestling coaches Hellickson and Jordan, they merely mentioned, “It’s Strauss,” and shrugged it off.

Strauss had zero regret

Strauss died by suicide in 2005. Lest you assume this was a results of a responsible conscience, Strauss’ cause was ache that was not nicely managed by treatment and was not per the standard of life he needed.

I don’t know if Strauss being remorseful would have made a distinction for the survivors, however his lack of regret is frankly disgusting, and for my part, speaks to what an unrepentant predator he was.

Survivors should not outlined by the abuse they endured

The boys who’ve been brave sufficient to face up for themselves and share their reality in regards to the abuse they suffered at Ohio State have been on the incorrect finish of some horrible hate for coming ahead. These males had been groomed, they had been preyed upon, they trusted a person and an establishment they need to have been capable of belief, and they’re the victims of crimes. What was carried out to them doesn’t outline them.

I requested Mike DiSabato, the unique whistleblower, what he needed to find out about him as a person, as an individual exterior of his push for justice for himself and the opposite survivors.

“I need them to know that I’ll by no means take a knee,” he mentioned. “I’ll by no means take a knee to evil and injustice ever. Ever.”

DiSabato additionally shared a press release with SB Nation that he posted on his Fb web page when the documentary was launched.

The picture, and the picture credit score, are particularly poignant to me for 2 causes: One, these males had been boys when this abuse was inflicted upon them. Males’s frontal lobes don’t even absolutely develop till they’re of their mid-20s.

And two, the truth that their abuser took this picture illustrates how Strauss labored to groom these younger males. He handled them like they had been particular to him. He flattered them. He did the whole lot he might to earn their belief and prey upon them. They didn’t have any specialised medical data. That they had no option to know if what Strauss was doing throughout exams had a respectable medical objective. Sexual abuse is about management, and Strauss was ready to take advantage of that. He pulled out all of the stops to control these males, and the college enabled him. It’s his fault, and it’s the college’s fault for enabling it. It’s not the fault of the survivors and it doesn’t outline who they’re.

The survivors ought to be permitted to hunt damages for emotional misery

Rocky Ratliff, an Ohio State wrestling alumnus, a pal from my hometown of Marion, Oh., and one of many survivors, shared on his private Fb that the court docket dominated on Wednesday the survivors can not search emotional damages.

As you watch the documentary, as you see the anguish these males nonetheless expertise after they discuss in regards to the abuse they’ve endured, as you watch Ratliff clarify that the group of survivors has a excessive divorce fee, many survivors have skilled suicidal ideation, and alcohol use as self-medication is prevalent — ask your self if the abuse these males suffered by the hands of Strauss precipitated any emotional misery. The reply is clear.

Not solely did the college they love — the college I additionally love — fail them. However for the wrestlers, the coaches they revered and noticed as household, Russ Hellickson and Jim Jordan failed them too with their cowardice. Hellickson was encouraging after they first got here ahead, however Jordan faux newsed the entire thing from soar and even tried to get survivor Mike DiSabato’s brother, Adam, to publicly help Jordan over the survivors, and Hellickson ghosted survivors after assembly along with his former wrestlers and promising his help. That, on high of the influence of the abuse, was traumatic. Due to their braveness in coming ahead, these survivors have been subjected to disbelief and limitless sufferer blaming, to not point out homophobia. After all there’s a long-lasting emotional influence, and they need to be compensated for that.

Although Ohio State has admitted duty and acknowledged its failure to guard these college students, the settlement provide from the college was insulting, particularly within the context of current settlements for sexual assault and abuse circumstances at Michigan State (Larry Nassar) and Penn State College (Jerry Sandusky). Michigan State settled with about $1.2 million per survivor, and Penn State settled with $1.5 million per survivor. Ohio State’s $41 million settlement pot averages out to about $250,000 per survivor. And a situation of the settlement would have primarily been absolving Ohio State of any guilt or duty.

It’s not in regards to the amount of cash a lot because it’s about ensuring this by no means occurs once more. Ohio State promised to do proper by these survivors, and it hasn’t. The athletic division introduced in over $250 million in income in 2024 and $293 million in 2023. I’d anticipate income to be significantly sturdy this 12 months given the Buckeyes’ soccer Nationwide Championship win. There isn’t any residing perpetrator to carry accountable for these crimes, so the college should be accountable. A $250,000 settlement for the abuse they endured and the decades-long influence it’s had on their lives is chump change. These survivors deserve higher.

“I bleed scarlet and grey,” survivor Mike Schyck says within the documentary. “However we had been let down by this college.”

And that’s my foremost takeaway from Surviving Ohio State. The survivors had been let down by Ohio State. They deserved to be protected by the college. They deserved to be believed after they raised considerations and reported Strauss’ habits. They deserved to be supported by the college. And since none of that occurred, now they deserve accountability from Ohio State. A good settlement is the closest factor to justice obtainable to the survivors with Strauss useless now for 20 years.

It doesn’t matter what occurs with the continued lawsuit, no matter how terribly Ohio State and so many individuals in positions of authority dealt with this example, the braveness of those survivors will assist shield different folks from related abuse. I sincerely hope that standing of their reality brings all of those survivors some peace.

‘Surviving Ohio State’ premiered Tuesday, June 17 at 9 p.m. and is on the market for streaming on HBO MAX.