Rep. Jim Jordan, co-founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, is denying that he knew about sexual abuse of students by a team doctor while he was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University. But former students say Jordan definitely knew about the abuse and even witnessed abusive behavior.
“I love Jimmy to death,” the ex-wrestler said. “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.”
During those showers—which Jordan was sometimes present for—another former student-athlete says that Dr. Richard Strauss was one of a number of people who would engage in “excessive soaping of their groin area.” The problem behavior extended past the showers and into the doctor's office, though—and Jordan reportedly knew that, too:
One former wrestler, Dunyasha Yetts, said he personally told Jordan about an instance in which the doctor pulled his pants down. He said Jordan responded by saying he'd “kill him“ if Strauss “tried anything with him.”
“It’s not true,” according to Jordan. “I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it. And look, if there are people who are abused, then that’s terrible and we want justice to happen.” Alleged abuser Strauss is long dead, but anyone who covers up for abuse needs to face justice as well. And that’s just what Jordan’s former wrestlers say he did.