COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio State is investigating sexual misconduct allegations against a former wrestling team trainer who was with the team from the 1970s through the 1990s, the university announced Thursday.
The university said a person recently came forward to accuse Dr. Richard Strauss, who died in 2005, of sexual misconduct.
The person said there were multiple victims over a period of time, said Chris Davey, an Ohio State spokesman. The allegations include acts of sexual misconduct with student-athletes and other instances of sexual misconduct, the university said.
The Associated Press could not locate any relatives of Strauss who could be asked to comment on the allegations.
Ohio State has not been able to reach any of his family members, Davey said. The school also is not aware of any past criminal charges or lawsuits against Strauss, he said.
Strauss was an associate professor of medicine at Ohio State.
An article in the campus newspaper from 1984 said he was selected to test Olympic athletes for illegal drug use during the summer games in Los Angeles.
Other articles published during the 1980s indicated Strauss studied injury rates among wrestlers and other athletes, as well as the effects of steroid use.
The university said the state attorney general has appointed a Columbus law firm to act as an independent investigator for each allegation.
The school also said it has notified law enforcement. The state attorney general’s office said Ohio’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation will assist police, should it be needed.
The timing of the allegations range from the mid-1970s through the late 1990s, the university said, but it does not yet know the exact years Strauss worked as an athletic trainer.
Ohio State said it will publicly release the results of the investigation when it is finished. It also asked anyone who experienced sexual misconduct while at the university to contact the school.
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Investigative researcher Randy Herschaft contributed to this report from New York. Seewer reported from Toledo.
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