Multiple former Ohio State football players agreed to join a federal lawsuit against the school over alleged sexual abuse by a team doctor, a lawyer in the case told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The lawyer said 30 former players — including some who played in the NFL — came forward with their allegations roughly eight years after the first lawsuit was filed due to the fear of publicly taking on the university, along with the shame of revealing they were sexually abused by another man.
The players are “tearful and living with it,” lawyer Rocky Ratliff said.
“But as this case progresses on, they see how Ohio State’s treating athletes from the university and I think they want people to know it’s OK, even if it is male to male [sexual abuse], to come forward,” he added.
Ohio State has faced lawsuits from student athletes since 2018 over its failure to thwart abuse from Dr. Richard Strauss, who worked at the university from 1978 to 1998. He died in 2005.
Just three out of the 30 former players have made their identities public: Al Washington, Ray Ellis and Keith Ferguson, Ratliff said.
Ratliff added that other former football players have settled in agreements with Ohio State, but withheld their names.
Washington, who was a member of the Buckeyes’ 1980 Rose Bowl team alongside Ellis and Ferguson, said it was difficult to discuss the abuse he suffered at the hands of Strauss.
He revealed that he was subjected to “unlawful” physical exams by Strauss when he was 18-19 years old, saying that the team tried to make light of the unfortunate situation at the time.
“But it was really uncomfortable,” Washington, now 67, told the Associated Press
Washington was drafted by the Jets in 1981 and spent seven seasons in the NFL, playing for the Eagles and Browns after one year in New York.
Ohio State said in a statement that it has “sincerely and persistently tried to reconcile with survivors, including former football student-athletes, through monetary and non-monetary means, including settlements, counseling services and other medical treatment.”
As of April 15, the university said it has settled with 317 survivors for over $61 million, and is actively engaged in mediation.
