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Lawsuit: Rep. Jordan Knew About Abuse by 
OSU Doctor

A professional referee says in a lawsuit filed Thursday that disgraced doctor Richard Strauss masturbated in front of him in a shower after a wrestling match at Ohio State University, and he reported the...

Lawsuit: Rep. Jordan Knew About Abuse by OSU Doctor

Published Nov 8, 2019

FILE - Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks to members of the press on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Nov. 4, 2019. A referee has alleged in a new lawsuit that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was notified of sexual abuse by Ohio State University doctor Richard Strauss but essentially shrugged off the allegation, saying simply, “Yeah, that’s Strauss.”

A professional referee says in a lawsuit filed Thursday that disgraced doctor Richard Strauss masturbated in front of him in a shower after a wrestling match at Ohio State University, and he reported the encounter directly to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who was then the assistant coach.

NBC News reports the referee, identified in court papers as John Doe 42, said Jordan and then-head coach Russ Hellickson replied, "Yeah, that’s Strauss."  

The lawsuit implies that Jordan's response to the 1994 incident was essentially a shrug. John Doe 42 is the second person to say he told Jordan directly about either being approached or molested by Strauss, who was found by independent investigators to have sexually abused 177 male students over two decades.

Jordan, a powerful Republican congressman and a top defender of President Donald Trump, has repeatedly denied knowing anything about what Strauss did to the wrestlers he helped coach from 1986 to 1994.

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