Ohio State University announced Friday that independent investigators had interviewed more than 200 former students and staff in its investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct raised against Dr. Richard Strauss, a physician employed at the university from the mid-1970s to the 1990s. Ohio State began a formal investigation into the doctor in April and more than 100 former Ohio State University students have reported being victims of sexual misconduct by Strauss, a university spokesperson said Friday. Since Strauss killed himself in 2005, he will never be charged or held criminally liable. A 1978 employment application information for Dr. Richard Strauss, from Ohio State University personnel files. Strauss, who died in 2005, has been accused of sexual misconduct by former college student athletes. Ohio State University via AP file What about possible criminal liability for other remaining faculty members or employees of the university? It’s possible that a creative prosecutor could articulate a theory of criminal responsibility for members of the Ohio State community who knew or even should have known about abuse of the students. But it’s not likely. One might consider as precedent, for instance, the Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State University. Former PSU President Graham Spanier was convicted in 2017 of covering up child sexual abuse allegations in 2001 against Sandusky. Athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz also pleaded guilty to misdemeanor child endangerment, and testified against Spanier at his trial. The Penn State case differs significantly from the Ohio State investigation in that Penn State involved the abuse of children. The duty to report suspected sexual assault of adults involves a different set of laws. Pennsylvania law imposes mandatory reporting requirements on people who interact with children as part of their employment, when they have “reasonable cause” to suspect that a child is the victim of sexual abuse based on their “medical, professional, or other training and experience.” If all of the alleged Ohio State victims were 18 or over, the age of majority in Ohio, then any similar Ohio law mandating reporting of sexual abuse of a child would probably not apply. In a lawsuit filed against Ohio State, however, one of the plaintiffs alleges he was 14 years old when the abuse began. Meanwhile, at another Big Ten university, Michigan State University, the former dean of MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine, William Strampel, faces charges that arose in connection with the investigation of his subordinate, Dr. Larry Nassar, the MSU doctor who was convicted of sexual abuse of scores of female patients and athletes. A judge at Strampel’s preliminary hearing in June ruled there was enough evidence for charges of misconduct in office, and criminal sexual conduct to move forward to trial. In that case, however, witnesses testified that Strampel indirectly propositioned them for sex during meetings, and another said Strampel groped her at a public event. The former dean is not charged with mere knowledge and failure to report abuse; he’s charged with his own crimes, independent of Nassar’s conduct. Even if one Ohio State official’s failure to report his or her mere suspicion of sexual assault of an adult by another university employee is not automatically a crime in Ohio, it’s certainly a violation of university policy. And, if a violation of policy is deemed a violation of a duty, it’s not a great leap to say that a serious enough violation of a legal duty constitutes the gross negligence which would support a criminal charge. At Ohio State University, all employees have a duty to report sexual misconduct, which is “conduct of a sexual nature or conduct based on sex or gender that is nonconsensual or has the effect of threatening, intimidating, or coercing a person.” Anyone who supervises students; chairs/directors; and all faculty members have a heightened responsibility to report incidents of sexual misconduct, because of their positions of authority. While that’s the policy today, it might not have been the policy during the Strauss era at Ohio State. It’s not a stretch for a prosecutor to find criminal culpability for an egregious, intentional violation of a known duty, especially in the case of a professional like a doctor. Danny Cevallos is an MSNBC legal analyst. Follow @CevallosLaw on Twitter.<doc-sep>More than 100 former Ohio State students have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against a former team doctor, the school announced on Friday. Ohio State hired an outside firm to conduct an investigation into Richard Strauss after several former wrestlers earlier this year alleged they were subjected to sexual abuse or harassment. The firm, Perkins Coie, has conducted more than 200 interviews with former Ohio State students and staff into allegations of abuse that span from 1979 to 1997. “We are grateful to those who have come forward and remain deeply concerned for anyone who may have been affected by Dr. Strauss’ actions,” Ohio State president Michael V. Drake said in a statement. “We remain steadfastly committed to uncovering the truth.” Strauss, who died by suicide in 2005, served in various roles in his 20 years at Ohio State, including more than a decade as a team doctor. The school's statement did not mention Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a powerful conservative who is facing allegations from more than a half-dozen former wrestlers that he knew about abuse from Strauss when he was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State from 1987 to 1995. Jordan spoke with investigators about Strauss on Monday in Ohio, according to his spokesman, Ian Fury. Jordan has denied the allegations, and 15 wrestlers and six former coaches have come to his defense. However, Russ Hellickson, the head coach at the time who has defended Jordan, told USA TODAY he was aware Strauss made the athletes uncomfortable. Ohio State said that Perkins Coie, which is in contact with area prosecutors, is expected to conduct at least 100 more interviews. MORE:Rep. Jim Jordan accused of ignoring allegations of sexual abuse while a coach at Ohio State MORE:Ex-Ohio State coach defends Jordan but says team doctor made athletes 'uncomfortable' MORE:Ohio State hit with two lawsuits over sexual abuse allegations against ex-team doctor Earlier this week, two lawsuits seeking class-action status were filed against Ohio State in federal court. One of the lawsuits, filed by four former Ohio State wrestlers who alleged multiple instances of abuse during the 1980s and 1990s, estimated “1,500 to 2,500 male student athletes” may have been abused. Former athletes from 14 sports (baseball, cheerleading, cross country, fencing, football, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball and wrestling) and former patients at Student Health Services have come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Strauss. Strauss is also alleged to have abused patients at a private off-campus medical office he established in 1996. The victims, the school said, could have included high-school-age students while he was still employed at Ohio State. The investigation isn’t reaching out directly to potential victims to avoid re-traumatizing them. Instead, investigators have contacted 115,000 alumni – including former athletes – and plan to notify 147,000 more people, according to Ohio State. The school has created a website for information on the investigation. Contributing: Eliza Collins, USA TODAY<doc-sep>(CNN) — More than 100 former Ohio State University students have reported firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct by a school doctor, the university said in a statement Friday. Those students have been interviewed as part of the investigation into allegations against the late Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. “We are grateful to those who have come forward and remain deeply concerned for anyone who may have been affected by Dr. Strauss’ actions,” said OSU President Michael V. Drake. “We remain steadfastly committed to uncovering the truth.” The university announced in April that it is investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by Strauss. The school has hired a law firm, Perkins Coie, to look into the claims made by former male athletes on 14 sports teams. A number of former Ohio State athletes have come forward in recent weeks to publicly claim that Strauss, who died by suicide, sexually abused them under the guise of a medical examination. The abuse is alleged to have taken place between 1979 and 1997, Friday’s statement said. More than 200 interviews with former students and university staff have been conducted and more than 100 additional interviews are anticipated. The university said investigators are not reaching out to possible victims directly, to avoid “re-traumatizing those who may have been affected and do not wish to revisit the experience.” Instead, OSU has endeavored to communicate widely with the university’s alumni and former athletes, and has encouraged anyone with information to contact Perkins Coie investigators, even if they would like to share their account anonymously. “The Ohio State University remains actively committed to uncovering what may have happened and what university leaders at the time may have known,” the statement said. Alleged assault happened during medical examinations, accusers say Athletes in 14 different sports claim to have been victims of Strauss, but another former OSU student told CNN that he was abused while working at Strauss’ private clinic. One of the wrestlers, Michael DiSabato, claims he was groped by Strauss dozens of times during medical examinations. He’s said that it was a running joke that no matter what ailment a person asked Strauss to look at, the doctor would always examine his genitals. Some of the accusers have claimed that US Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio – an OSU assistant wrestling coach between 1987 and 1995 – knew about the abuse but did nothing. Jordan, who has repeatedly denied having any direct knowledge of sexual abuse, has been interviewed as part of the investigation, he said Wednesday. Two class-action lawsuits filed earlier this week by former student wrestlers claim OSU turned a blind eye to the doctor’s alleged abuse.<doc-sep>More than 100 former Ohio State University students have reported being victims of sexual misconduct by a former school physician over two decades ago, a university spokesman said Friday. The university released a statement about the student reports as an update into its investigation into allegations of Dr. Richard Strauss' long-running abuse, mostly in the athletics program. Ohio State opened the investigation in April, after former wrestlers came forward with allegations that Strauss had groped them during unnecessary medical examinations. Ten wrestlers have told NBC News they had personal experiences with Strauss’s sexual misconduct, which they said included unwanted and unwarranted touching, and leering during exams and in the locker room. Strauss was employed by the university as the wrestling team's doctor from the mid-1970s to 1997 and died by suicide in 2005. One former wrestler described his reaction to the university update as “one of sadness for the victims and their families and yet great hope that the truth will come to light.” The former wrestler had previously shared with NBC News his story of being abused by Strauss, but has since asked that his name not be used because of the negative reaction he and his family have faced in their Ohio community. “Each new voice sends a message that we will no longer tolerate those who use positions of power to commit sexual abuse, nor will we tolerate those who enable it by looking away. And our chorus will grow louder still until the world knows that we won't be silenced again," the former wrestler said. As part of the investigation, the law firm Perkins Coie has interviewed more than 200 former students and staff and plans to speak with 100 more, the university said. The university also said investigators had been communicating with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office. The reports of Strauss’ sexual misconduct have come from former student-athletes across 14 sports, as well as from former patients of the university’s student clinic. The former students alleging sexual misconduct have come forward in response to a call from the university. Investigators said they were not reaching out to prospective victims because of a concern for people who may be traumatized and not wish to re-live their experience by taking part in an investigation. Strauss's relatives have said they were “shocked and saddened to hear the allegations of misconduct" against him. The update comes on the heels of a pair of federal class-action lawsuits against the school filed by five former wrestlers this week in Ohio’s Southern District federal court, claiming administrators knew of Strauss’s alleged serial sexual misconduct and did nothing to protect students from it. One of the lawsuits specifically mentions Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the conservative lawmaker who was assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Jordan, who met this week with the investigators at Perkins Coie, has repeatedly denied having any knowledge of Strauss’s abuse. Jordan was not named as a defendant in either suit. Six former wrestlers have spoken to NBC News, alleging Jordan knew or must have known about Strauss’s abuse. Dunyasha Yetts, who wrestled for Ohio State in the early 1990s, said he had reported the abuse directly to Jordan. Former wrestler Shawn Dailey corroborated his account. Other wrestlers told NBC News Jordan must have known of the abuse because Strauss's misconduct was often discussed in the locker room. Jordan has characterized allegations that he did know about Strauss as being politically motivated.<doc-sep>
More than 100 former students have reported they were sexually abused by former Ohio State physician Richard Strauss, the university said in an update Friday. Ohio State first announced the investigation into Strauss in April, stemming from allegations of sexual abuse during his time as a team physician for the university’s wrestling team. Since then, the investigation has continued to expand, with athletes from 14 men’s varsity sports and former patients of Student Health Services reporting allegations about Strauss. Investigators from Seattle-based law firm Perkins Coie hired by Ohio State have now interviewed more than 200 former students and staff believed to have information regarding the allegations involving Strauss, the university said Friday. Investigators also expect to conduct more than 100 additional interviews and are also “in regular communication” with the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, Ohio State said. >> Check out all of our coverage on the Ohio State investigation into reports of sexual abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss Since the probe began, investigators also determined that Strauss established a private medical practice in Columbus, where individuals have reported additional acts of sexual misconduct occurred. Investigators are also looking into whether Strauss might have examined high school students during his time at Ohio State. Strauss was employed at the university from 1978 to 1998, and the allegations span most of his time there. He killed himself in 2005, at the age of 67, at his California home. Investigators are using a trauma-informed approach to the probe, which does not include reaching out to prospective victims out of concern of re-traumatizing those who might have been affected, the university said Friday. In a message sent to students, faculty and staff Friday announcing the update, Ohio State President Michael V. Drake said “many of the allegations that we have seen in the media have been profoundly disturbing.” “We are grateful to those who have come forward and remain deeply concerned for anyone who may have been affected by Dr. Strauss’ actions,” Drake said in a written statement included in the university’s investigation update. “We remain steadfastly committed to uncovering the truth.” The investigation has received increased national attention in recent weeks, as a number of former Ohio State wrestlers have accused U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of knowing about the abuse by Strauss. The Urbana Republican, who was an assistant wrestling coach at the university from 1986 to 1994, has repeatedly said he knew nothing about the abuse. “Congressman Jordan never saw any abuse, never heard about any abuse, and never had any abuse reported to him during his time as a coach at Ohio State," Jordan spokesman Ian Fury said in a statement Friday. "He will assist the investigation in any way they ask, because if what is alleged is true, the victims deserve a full investigation and justice.” Five former Ohio State wrestlers filed two separate class-action lawsuits this week, alleging the university knew about sexual abuse by Strauss but failed to stop his misconduct. Ohio State said university officials have reached out to hundreds of thousands of alumni, former student-athletes and others within the university community to communicate about the investigation. The university continues to encourage anyone with information about Strauss and his time at the university to contact investigators at osu@perkinscoie.com Jack Torry of the Dispatch Washington Bureau contributed to this story. jsmola@dispatch.com @jennsmola