Ohio St. accusers list exceeds 300

Lawyers for men suing Ohio State University over decades-old alleged sexual misconduct by a team doctor said the growing number of accusers has topped 300.

Totals confirmed to the Associated Press put the group’s size in the same ballpark as the initial wave of plaintiffs who got $425 million from Michigan State to settle claims related to Larry Nassar, the now-imprisoned gymnastics doctor accused of molesting hundreds of women and girls.

Of the 300-plus men in the Ohio State matter, some still plan to sue, and more than half already are listed plaintiffs in federal lawsuits alleging school officials knew of concerns about Richard Strauss, the late doctor, during his tenure but did little to stop him.

“This is, from our perspective, aside from the Catholic Church, one of the biggest sexual misconduct cases in the country,” attorney Michael Wright said.

Wright said his legal team is representing more than 100 men, most of them former football players and other Buckeyes athletes who say they were sexually abused by Strauss. Many of those are not among the 177 men who provided firsthand accounts of sexual abuse by Strauss to the law firm that began investigating allegations for the university last year, Wright said.

Many of the men who have publicly recounted their experiences, including the ex-wrestler who spurred the investigation, allege they were fondled during medical exams. Their claims span 1979 to 1997 — nearly all of Strauss’ Ohio State career.