Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) claimed vindication Friday following the release of a report covering the investigation into sexual abuse of wrestlers at Ohio State University, where he used to coach.
While Jordan has maintained he had no knowledge of the alleged abuse by the team’s head doctor Richard Strauss, the report did not confirm whether the coaches’ denials of knowledge of the abuse were accurate. The report does not name Jordan specifically, but says that investigators could not make “conclusive determinations” about whether coaches were aware of the abuse or complaints by wrestlers.
Jordan told reporters on Capitol Hill Friday that the “report speaks for itself,” according to the Washington Post.
“It confirmed everything I have said all along,” he said. “You guys know me. If I thought one of our athletes was being harmed . . . I’d have done something. But, yeah, we’re glad that the report’s done and that people who need counseling and want counseling, the university’s going to pay for that.”
According to the report, the investigation found that Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male Ohio State students from 1979 to 1996. The report found that student athletes from 16 different Ohio State teams were allegedly abused, not just wrestlers.
