Naman Shrestha
In HBO’s ‘Surviving Ohio State,’ the focus is on the controversial career of Dr. Richard H. Strauss, a former sports physician at the Ohio State University. During his tenure, several athletes and students at the university complained of his abusive behavior, several of whom feature in the documentary. Adapted from the 2020 Sports Illustrated article titled ‘Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?’ by Jon Wertheim, the documentary explores the instances of the alleged abuse by the doctor in a detailed manner.
Dr. Richard Strauss Allegedly Sexually Abused Male Athletes at the OSU
Born on July 30, 1938, to Lovell H. Strauss and Cora Adelaide Frizell in Chicago, Illinois, Richard Harry Strauss attended the University of Chicago, where he earned his medical degree in 1964. After graduation, he served as an intern at the associated hospital system for a year or so before joining the US Navy, where he served as a lieutenant in the Medical Corps between 1966 and 1968. Richard then joined the School of Medicine at the University of Washington to pursue his post-doctoral fellowship. From 1970 to 1974, he served as an assistant professor of physiology at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Hawaiʻi. The following year, Richard finished his residency at Rutgers University, after which he became a research fellow and team physician at Harvard University.
With an impressive academic record, he landed a job at the Ohio State University as the editor-in-chief of The Physician and Sports Medicine. In 1981, he also officially became the team physician at the university’s physical education building, Larkins Hall. Being the physician on campus, he was responsible for treating athletes from all kinds of sports, including wrestling, fencing, lacrosse, gymnastics, hockey, soccer, volleyball, tennis, football, and more. Apart from that, he was also a member of the medical commission of the International Olympic Committee. Over the course of the next two decades, Dr. Richard Strauss allegedly sexually abused and assaulted about 177 men, especially athletes from at least 16 different sports.
As per the survivors’ accounts, the physician used to turn the lights off and conduct regular genital exams without gloves on. A former hockey player also claimed that the doctor had sedated him and raped him in his house. Moreover, a former wrestling referee named Frederick Feeney also alleged that he was showering after officiating a match when Richard showered right next to him and made physical contact with him. Richard also allegedly showered multiple times for long hours among the athletes. However, the faculty member’s alleged behavior was brushed off by others on campus, allowing him to continue the same for several years. In 1994, Dr. Richard Strauss was given a position in the Student Health Center, where he continued to allegedly abuse the students of the OSU.
The Alleged Crimes of Dr. Richard Strauss Came to Light Decades Later
Due to the mountain of complaints against Dr. Richard Strauss, the OSU decided to terminate his contract. Thus, he was sacked from his position with the Athletics Department in late July 1996 and from Student Health on August 5, 1996. Despite that, he established a private clinic, where he allegedly continued abusing male patients. Still, he was allowed to retain his tenured faculty position in the School of Public Health. According to reports, the physician also used to place advertisements in the student newspaper, claiming discounts for students and a quick treatment for genital issues. On March 1, 1998, Richard retired voluntarily and earned emeritus status.
After his retirement, he relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he worked at a medical clinic near Hermosa Beach for a while. In August 2005, the 67-year-old doctor took his own life in his residence located near Venice Beach, California. He reportedly left behind a suicide note that said that he was suffering from “significant escalating medical and pain problems since January 2002,” which was the supposed reason for the suicide. More than a decade after his demise, in 2018, the abuse survivors came out and filed a report against the late physician. The Ohio State University conducted an investigation into the case and eventually revoked Richard’s emeritus status in 2019. The following year, the university also agreed to pay a total of $40,9 million to 162 survivors.
Read More: Charlotte Remenyik: Where is the Former Ohio State Fencing Coach Today?
