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On Monday afternoon, it was announced that Hollywood superstar George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures are set to produce a documentary series about a decades-long abuse scandal in the Ohio State University athletics department. The abuse stems from multiple accounts against longtime former Team Buckeye doctor Richard Strauss.
Speak with the Hollywood Reporter, executive producer Jon Wertheim explained in detail what the documentary series will focus on. The series does not yet have a release platform.
“This article reveals the most widespread sexual abuse scandal in the history of American higher education. It is a story about the power, abuse, empowerment and hierarchy of college sports that had been covered up during too long, ”Wertheim said. “Because these brave men have made the decision to no longer remain silent, we can finally begin to hold the aggressor and those who were complicit in their silence, accountable for their actions – and inactions. With the help of 101 Studios, [SI owner] Authentic Brands Group and Smokehouse Pictures, their voices and stories – as heartbreaking as they are – will be amplified. “
After several student-athletes and patients at student health centers alleged abuse of Strauss, a lawsuit was filed in 2019 by five former students. The lawsuit claims they were abused by Strauss and that administrators, coaches, doctors and other employees were made aware of the abuse but took no action. All of the plaintiffs were listed as “John Doe” in the lawsuit in order to protect their identities.
“Instead of taking action to stop the serial abuse of Dr Strauss, OSU not only turned a blind eye to this, but facilitated the abuse,” the lawsuit says.
The latest lawsuit comes after Strauss was charged with sexual assault during his 20 years as a doctor for several Ohio state sports teams in 2018. As of July 2018, more than 100 alumni reported first-hand accounts of sexual misconduct by Strauss. The state of Ohio began investigating Strauss in April after the allegations against the doctor.
The lawsuit provides details of the abuse and harassment complainants suffered when they went to Strauss for review. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs were asked sexualized questions and received inappropriate comments about their bodies and were inappropriately touched on their genitals.
The lawsuit also alleges an inappropriate cultivation on the part of the state of Ohio around Strauss and gives examples of academic officials with first-hand knowledge of what happened when patients went to see Strauss. The lawsuit says a coach would threaten athletes with visiting Strauss if they didn’t listen as well as various nicknames for Strauss used to describe the doctor by athletes, coaches, coaches and athletic directors that reflected his inappropriate behavior.
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Strauss worked for the state of Ohio from 1978 to 1998 and was the team physician for 17 college men’s sports and also served as a physician at the college’s Student Health Center. He retired in 1998 and committed suicide in 2005.
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