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Former Ohio wrestlers who claim to be victims of sexual abuse by Richard Strauss, MD, of the Ohio State State, claim that MP Jim Jordan was aware of the abuse of the Ohio State Wrestling Team. at NBC
Time

Dem. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio denied the recent allegations that he knowingly ignored allegations of sexual abuse at Ohio State University while he was assistant coach of wrestling in the 1990s.

Several former wrestlers from the state of Ohio accused Jordan of lying because they were unaware of the allegation of sexual misconduct on the part of Former doctor of the wrestling team, Dr. Richard Strauss.

"This is not true," Jordan told POLITICO in an interview Tuesday night. "I never knew of any abuse, if I had done it, I would have done something about it and look, if there are people who are abused, so it is terrible and we want justice done. Jordan worked as an assistant wrestling coach for the Buckeyes from 1987 to 1995.

Jordan previously stated that he did not know the alleged behavior of Strauss until the doctor's accusers publicly manifest themselves in April. Mike DiSabato, a former wrestler from Ohio, replied by telling USA TODAY: "Doc Strauss was a serial groper, everyone knew, including Jim … he knew, and he was lying."

Strauss, who served as a doctor for the Ohio State wrestling team from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, died in 2005.

MORE: Rep. Jim Jordan accused of ignoring the allegations of sexual abuse while he was coach at the Ohio State PLUS: The Freedom Caucus – Jordan is considering to challenge McCarthy for an orator

The Ohio State investigation on Strauss, which began on April 5 and has extended well beyond the team University's fight, is to determine if anyone in Ohio State was aware of the allegations and should have reported them.

DiSabato and two other former wrestlers told NBC News last week that it was common knowledge that Strauss was showering with the athletes and improperly touching them during the exams. And former wrestler Dunyasha Yetts told NBC News that he had directly informed Jordan and the then head coach, Russ Hellickson, of an incident in which he felt violated by Strauss.

Jordan, one of the most powerful conservatives of Congress, is the co-founder of House Freedom Caucus and could be one of the best candidates to replace Paul Ryan, R-Wis, who is retiring, as a as Speaker of the House. Jordan was elected for the first time in the House of Representatives in 2006.