The Most Shocking Revelations About Sexual Abuse Scandal in ‘Surviving Ohio State’ Documentary

Decades of alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Dr. Richard Strauss, a former sports medicine physician at The Ohio State University, is explored in detail in the new documentary Surviving Ohio State.

Strauss is accused of sexually abusing hundreds of male students, most of them athletes, from 1978 to 1998. Surviving Ohio State speaks directly to some of Strauss’ alleged victims, including a group of former Ohio State wrestlers who helped blow the whistle about their alma mater. 

Surviving Ohio State, produced by David C. Glasser, Grant Heslov and George Clooney, is available to stream on Max.

For the most shocking revelations from the documentary, keep reading. 

Dr. Strauss Would Turn the Lights Off During Physicals

When student-athletes would visit Strauss, he allegedly preferred to handle things in the dark. 

“He did the entire body check,” former Ohio State wrestler Dan Ritchie claimed in the documentary. “Checked our skin, because with wrestling skin issues might keep you off the wrestling mat because they’re contagious. He checked under our arms. Checked our vitals.”

During these examinations, former Ohio State wrestler Mike Schyck alleged Strauss would instruct the wrestlers to “turn the lights off.”

“He got down on a stool and tapped the sides of your legs and would say, ‘Alright, drop ’em,’” Ritchie claimed. “From that point, he would grab your penis. And he’s moving it around, moving it around. I was speechless.”

Dr. Strauss Didn’t Wear Gloves During Genital Checks

Ritchie explained he was able to “compartmentalize” Strauss’ alleged abuse for a period of time, but things kept getting “worse.”

“Dr. Strauss was our team doctor and that’s who we had,” Ritchie said. “I mean, if we had an illness, he’s the one we went to. If we needed medication for something, he’s the one that we went to. If we had an injury, he’s the one that we went to. And each and every time, it was a full body check that resulted in a genital check without fail.”

Ritchie claimed, “The man never wore gloves. It was always skin-on-skin.”

Wrestlers Openly Discussed Strauss’ Alleged Abuse

“I’ve never looked at myself like a victim,” Schyck said. “I come from the athlete’s mentality, where if it’s bad you problem solve and fix it. The way I think we kind of fixed it as athletes, you kind of made light of it. It was out in the open like that.”

Former Ohio State wrestler Rocky Ratliff recalled a similar environment. 

“Guys would joke all the time, ‘Hey, I need to go see the doc,’” Ratliff said. “If there was a group of us they’d say, ‘Hey, watch your nuts.’”

Will Knight, also a former Ohio State wrestler, remembered Dr. Strauss earned nicknames like “Dr. Fun Boy.”

Coaches Allegedly Knew About Dr. Strauss’ Abuse

In addition to Dr. Strauss’ abuse being an open secret amongst the wrestlers themselves, athletes alleged that their coaches knew all about it too. 

Schyck recalled a conversation with his mother, who asked whether he had ever told head coach Russ Hellickson or assistant coach Jim Jordan — who has represented the state of Ohio in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2007 — about Dr. Strauss’ abuse. 

“Telling would imply that they didn’t know,” Schyck explained. “Our coaches knew.”

Ritchie alleged some wrestlers complained directly to Jordan about Strauss. 

Both Jordan and Hellickson have denied ever knowing about Strauss’ alleged abuse. 

Dr. Strauss Allegedly Showered With the Wrestling Team

As Strauss’ alleged abuse continued going unreported, Knight remembered him getting “emboldened.”

Schyck had similar memories, claiming Strauss would often follow wrestlers into the shower after they had spent time in the sauna. 

According to Ritchie, Strauss would sometimes shower multiple times in one day with athletes. 

“He’d come out, he’d see another group of guys coming down and it’s like, ‘Oh, I forgot to clean this. I need to go back in the shower,’” Ritchie said. “He’d go right back into the shower.”

Dr. Strauss Allegedly Sexually Abused a Referee

Frederick Feeney, a respected wrestling referee from 1988 to 2024, detailed his experience with Strauss. 

“One time I’m doing this match and once the match is over, you sign the book and you leave,” Feeney said. “You don’t hang around. You don’t high-five people. We get the hell out of there, because nothing good can happen there. Somebody’s pissed off about something. Just get the hell out.”

Feeney continued, “I walked in. You get undressed and you go take a shower and you leave. It’s that simple. As I was in there, Dr. Strauss walks in. I knew Dr. Strauss just from being around Ohio State University. I’ve known him for years.”

After the two men exchanged pleasantries, Feeney claimed things took a turn.

“He starts getting undressed right beside me,” Feeney alleged. “And yet there’s all this room over here that he could have went to get undressed. I just looked at him like, ‘Doc, what are you doing?’”

Once inside the shower itself, Feeney said Strauss “stood right beside me.”

“The next thing I know, I look over and I realize he’s not washing himself, he’s masturbating,” Feeney claimed. “He’s beside me masturbating. I’m thinking, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ He goes, ‘Well, Fred, I’m just washing.’ Well, that’s kind of a weird-ass way to do it.”

Moments later, Feeney alleged, he could “feel his hand on my butt.” Feeney said he should have “knocked him on his ass,” but he was too stunned to react. 

Feeney left the shower, but Strauss eventually followed him back to the locker room.

“There’s nothing wrong, you’ve got a beautiful butt, you’ve got a great penis, you should be proud of that,” Strauss allegedly told him. 

Dr. Strauss Allegedly Promised Modeling Careers to Wrestlers

“He would take photos of guys,” Ratliff said. “He would give you his card and tell you he could start a modeling career for you. We’d often see him around with a camera.”

Ritchie eventually decided to take Strauss up on his offer. 

“During the summertime, I was trying to get into some modeling stuff, just to make some extra money,” Ritchie explained. “Dr. Strauss said, ‘If you need shots, I can do it. I’m a photographer.’ I’m a poor college student. I’m like, ‘How much is it going to be?’ He was like, ‘Don’t worry about it.’”

One night, Ritchie traveled alone to Strauss’ house for the photo shoot. 

“[Strauss] goes, ‘Let’s take some shots without your shirt on,’” Ritchie recalled. “I took a couple shots without my shirt on. And then he’s kind of putting his hands on me. He starts pulling my pants down and I’m like, ‘No, not doing that.’”

Dr. Strauss Allegedly Preyed on Non-Athletes Too

The alleged abuse at the hands of Dr. Strauss extended to non-athletes at Ohio State after he was promoted to the position of main physician at the university’s health center, including former student Stephen Snyder-Hill. 

“I had a lump on my chest and I decided I needed to go and get it checked,” said Snyder-Hill, who was a student at Ohio State in the ‘90s. “I looked up in the student directory and saw that there was a medical center and went there.”

Once he met with Strauss, Snyder-Hill alleged the physician started asking “some really weird questions about if I was gay, just all kinds of stuff.”

“He had me get completely naked, which just seemed very weird to me, as well,” Snyder-Hill continued. “But again, he’s a medical doctor. I was a kid. I thought I gotta listen to whatever this guy says to do.”

Snyder-Hill alleged Strauss gave him “a genital examination” without the use of gloves. 

“I can remember his breath on my genitals when he was examining them,” Snyder-Hill said.

Snyder-Hill claimed Strauss was massaging his shoulder when he started “to thrust his pelvis into my side” with a noticeable erection. 

After taking his abuse allegations to the Department of Student Health Services, Snyder-Hill had a meeting with a representative from the department and Strauss where Strauss vehemently denied the accusations. 

Snyder-Hill was assured that no other students had reported issues with Strauss, which Snyder-Hill later found out was a lie. 

In the university’s investigation into Strauss, it was revealed that another student had complained about Strauss three days before Snyder-Hill’s initial meeting with the doctor. 

“They lied to me,” Snyder-Hill said. “They told me what to believe and I believed them. I took their word for it. I went about my life believing I had been wrong about this man.”

Dr. Strauss Allegedly Raped an Ohio State Hockey Player

In 1989, former Ohio State hockey player Al Novakowski visited Dr. Strauss at the university’s Student Health Center after having trouble breathing. 

Strauss allegedly said he would need to “sedate” Novakowski in order to help him. Novakowski said Strauss gave him “a shot” and then offered to give him a ride home. 

“I don’t remember getting in the car,” Novakowski explained. “He helped me go up to my room. I laid down, couldn’t move. Sort of paralyzed. He was rubbing my side or my back.”

Novakowski described his state as being “stoned.”

“Then he raped me,” Novakowski claimed. 

In the aftermath of the incident, Novakowski struggled to comprehend what had happened but didn’t report Strauss’ alleged abuse. 

He eventually dropped out of school and left the Ohio State hockey program. 

Dr. Strauss Died by Suicide

In 2005, Strauss died by suicide. According to the investigation into Strauss’ death, the doctor said he took his own life because of “pain problems.”

“There’s no remorse about what he did,” Snyder-Hill said. “It was because he was inconvenienced because of pain. That’s what you find out. And that just stinks.”

Dr. Strauss’ Alleged Abuse Has Had Long-Term Effects

“Ohio State still has no understanding, and has failed to acknowledge, the actual devastation they have caused thousands of men,” Ratliff said. “High divorce rates. High substance abuse problems, whether it be alcohol or drugs. We’ve had several suicide attempts.”

Ratliff added, “And I don’t know one guy that regularly goes to the doctor.”

Where Do Things Stand Now?

Since 2018, Ohio State University has settled with 296 survivors for more than $60 million, university spokesperson Ben Johnson told Axios.

“We express our deep regret and apologies to all who experienced Strauss’ abuse,” a statement from the school read. 

The university also continues to cover the costs of survivors’ counseling and other medical treatment.

Surviving Ohio State is available to watch on Max. 

If you or anyone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). A trained staff member will provide confidential, judgment-free support as well as local resources to assist in healing, recovering and more. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.