Ohio State student says he complained about doc's exam in letter in the 90s

Updated: Jul. 18, 2018 at 7:52 AM EDT
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The Latest on a former Ohio State team doctor accused of sexually abusing athletes (all times local):

4:20 p.m.

The law firm investigating allegations that a now-dead Ohio State University doctor sexually abused students has documentation about at least one incident that prompted a complaint to a student health center official in the 1990s.

Former student Steve Snyder-Hill says he wrote the letter after seeing Dr. Richard Strauss about a concerning lump on his chest. Snyder-Hill recalls that Strauss also did a genital exam and pressed himself into him, at which point the patient realized the doctor had an erection.

Snyder-Hill says after he complained, officials told him Strauss denied having an erection and said he was just doing his job.

Snyder-Hill contacted the investigators after seeing news reports about Strauss, and they confirmed having some paperwork about the incident.

Snyder-Hill's complaint was first reported by The Columbus Dispatch.

10:05 a.m.

A lawsuit by four former Ohio State University wrestlers alleges the school failed to stop "rampant sexual misconduct" by a now-dead team doctor despite being repeatedly informed about his behavior.

In the federal lawsuit filed Monday, four Ohio men listed as John Does say Richard Strauss sexually assaulted or harassed them in the late 1980s or 1990s. The wrestlers' lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages.

The university didn't immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

An independent investigation about Strauss began after such allegations were raised earlier this year. Ohio State says the allegations involve men from 14 sports

Strauss worked for the university for two decades, retiring in 1998. He killed himself in 2005.

His family has said they were "shocked and saddened" to learn of the allegations.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.