What potential fallout awaits when Ohio State sexual abuse documentary debuts
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Producers of a long-awaited documentary detailing decades of sexual abuse of young male athletes by a team doctor at the Ohio State University expect the film to get a lot of attention when it debuts on HBO next Tuesday.
'Surviving Ohio State,' the HBO documentary detailing Dr. Richard Strauss' 20 years of abusing young male athletes, debuted Monday night at the Tribeca Film Festival in front of a packed theater. Among those in the crowd were survivors of the doctor, who also appeared in the film.
Also appearing in the film was NBC4's Colleen Marshall, who was in Manhattan for the premiere. Marshall and photographer Steve Wainfor interviewed many of the survivors for the award-winning series of reports, 'Culture of Cover-up.'
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Marshall said it was shocking to see the shared trauma of the survivors in the film and that premiere attendants left the theater with very strong opinions about Ohio State and its handling of the situation.
Congressman and former Ohio State wrestling coach Jim Jordan denied any knowledge of Strauss' actions when NBC4 questioned him about reports that coaches were aware of sexual abuse allegations and aware of fencing coach Charlotte Remenyik reporting it.
The film reveals that Remenyik lodged complaints to University leaders for 10 years, but nothing was done.
A referee named Fred Feeney said he was groped and sexually harassed in the shower by Strauss and reported it to Jordan. Feeney claimed Jordan's response was 'That's just Strauss.'
'Surviving Ohio State' is a two-hour film and will be shown in two different theaters Tuesday night as part of the 12-day film festival. Film critics and members of the public will watch the movie before it debuts on HBO next week.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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