Scandal needs more attention
Brennan: What did Jordan know at Ohio State?
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, easily won re-election Tuesday night for a seventh term in Congress. Now that he’s done with that, scrutiny should return to his alleged role in failing to stop an Ohio State team doctor from molesting student-athletes when Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at the school from 1986-94.
Back in the summer, seven former OSU wrestlers accused Jordan of being among the university coaches and faculty members who ignored the sexual abuse of team doctor Richard Strauss, who committed suicide in 2005.
Jordan denied the allegations then, saying, “I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it.”
Yet, in a Fox News interview, Jordan did admit that he heard “conversations in a locker room” about the issue.
Jordan said he was interviewed over the summer as part of an independent investigation that was announced by the university in April, and the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights also launched a Title IX investigation into the allegations in August. An Ohio State spokesman said Wednesday the school’s independent investigation remains underway.
Nearly 150 former Ohio State students have reported misconduct by Strauss, including athletes from at least 16 varsity sports.
But as the election ramped up, this story actually grew quiet. There was the occasional outrage on social media, but nothing stood in Jordan’s way as he stormed to an easy victory over Democrat Janet Garrett in a safe Republican district. His winning margin was 65.4 percent to 34.6 percent, only slightly worse than his two previous races against Garrett in 2014 and 2016.
So Jordan returns to Washington, but no longer in the House majority. How can these allegations not follow him there? How is this not a bigger story? After the horrifying sex abuse scandals at Penn State, Michigan State and USA Gymnastics, how did Jordan simply sail through this election season?
He had help. President Donald Trump certainly did his part. Even though Trump of course has no idea what happened in Strauss’ office at Ohio State three decades ago, that didn’t stop him from blindly defending Jordan when the accusations mounted back in July.
“I don’t believe them at all,” Trump said of Jordan’s accusers. “I believe him. Jim Jordan is one of the most outstanding people I’ve met since I’ve been in Washington. I believe him 100 percent. No question in my mind. I believe Jim Jordan 100 percent. He’s an outstanding man.”
Trump took one look at a college sex abuse scandal and turned it into political theater. Apparently, he has learned nothing from what happened at Penn State, Michigan State and USA Gymnastics.
In July, a former OSU wrestler who has staunchly defended Jordan told USA TODAY that the locker room conversations Jordan said he heard involved wrestlers saying “prepare to drop your pants” when going to see Strauss for any ailment or injury.
Michael Alf, who wrestled at Ohio State from 1988-92, said he was part of a conference call with several former OSU wrestlers who have supported Jordan. “We don’t blame Jimmy, but the guys are saying, ‘Jim, why don’t you just tell that you heard about this as it was going along? We know you were young and you didn’t put it together.’ ”
“I participated with Jimmy (Jordan) and the other wrestlers in locker room talk about Strauss,” former OSU wrestler Shawn Dailey, who said he was groped half a dozen times by Strauss in the mid-1990s, told NBC News. “We all did. It was very common knowledge in the locker room that if you went to Dr. Strauss for anything, you would have to pull your pants down.
“What happened drove me out of the sport,” he added. “So I was surprised to hear Jim say that he knew nothing about it. Jimmy’s a good guy, but to say that he had no knowledge of it, I would say that’s kind of hurtful.”
Mark Coleman, another former OSU wrestler, told The Wall Street Journal that Jordan was aware of the abuse and did not take action.
“There’s no way unless he’s got dementia or something that he’s got no recollection of what was going on at Ohio State,” said Coleman, who said he was Jordan’s roommate on several trips.
Now that Jordan is heading back to Washington, this important story should shadow his every step.