Latest news with #OhioState
Los Angeles Times
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
A new film about the Ohio State wrestling team sex abuse scandal indicts those who looked away
For more than 30 years, Fred Feeney refereed matches for the Ohio State University's powerhouse wrestling team. Unlike the dozens of young men whose athletic scholarships depended on staying in the good graces of the team doctor, Richard Strauss, who could withhold permission for them to compete, Feeney didn't have to persuade himself that what Strauss did was OK. He didn't have to pretend it was OK that Strauss was constantly taking showers with athletes. Or that it was OK when, after a match, Strauss masturbated next to Feeney in the shower, then grabbed the ref's ass. A visibly shaken Feeney recounts in the new documentary, 'Surviving Ohio State,' that he left the locker room that day in distress and immediately told wrestling coach Russ Hellickson and assistant wrestling coach Jim Jordan what had happened. Both coaches shrugged, said Feeney, who added that Jordan told him, 'It's Strauss. You know what he does.' Dan Ritchie, who quit the wrestling team in his third year because he could no longer tolerate Strauss' sexual abuse — which included forcing athletes to drop their pants and endure genital and rectal exams when they saw him, for even the most minor complaint — said that Jordan once told him, 'If he ever did that to me, I'd snap his neck like a stick of dry balsa wood.' But Jordan, now the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an unwavering ally of President Trump, has assiduously denied ever seeing or knowing about assaults committed by Strauss during Jordan's eight years with the team. He emerges as one of the bad guys in the new film, which is based on the Sports Illustrated 2020 investigation, 'Why Aren't More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?' Produced by the Oscar-winning documentarian Eva Orner and George Clooney's production company, it debuted on HBO Max in June. 'To say that [Jordan] knew nothing, that nothing ever happened, it's a flat out lie,' Ritchie says in the documentary. A callous response to reports of sexual assault was the norm at Ohio State. While administrators deflected reports about Strauss for years, claiming they were just rumors, the university's 2019 investigation, performed by an outside law firm, found that during his 1978-1996 tenure in the athletics department and at the student health center, Strauss assaulted at least 177 students thousands of times. The school's fencing coach, Charlotte Remenyik, complained about Strauss for 10 years until he was finally removed as her teams' doctor. (In response to her efforts to protect her athletes, Strauss accused her of waging a vendetta against him.) A complaint finally caused the university to remove him as a treating physician at OSU in 1996, but he was still a tenured faculty member when he retired, with 'emeritus' status, in 1998. He died by suicide in 2005. It was not until the Larry Nassar gymnastics abuse scandal exploded between 2016 and 2018 that the former Ohio State wrestlers understood that they, too, had been victimized by their team doctor, and that there were probably a lot more of them than anyone realized. 'I said, 'Wow, that's us,'' said former OSU wrestler Michael DiSabato, one of the first to go public. 'It unlocked something in me.' A group of former teammates met in 2018, then later sat down with their old coach, Hellickson, in an emotional encounter. Hellickson promised to write letters supporting them, the wrestlers said, then ghosted them. He did not respond to filmmakers' requests to be interviewed. Likewise, Jordan shunned requests for interviews, and he has appeared exasperated in news clips when questioned about what he knew. He's not a defendant in any of the abuse lawsuits filed against OSU. In 2020, Michael DiSabato's brother, Adam, a former wrestler and team captain, testified under oath during a hearing on an Ohio bill that would have allowed Strauss' victims to sue OSU for damages, that Jordan called him 'crying, groveling … begging me to go against my brother.' Jordan has denied that conversation took place. It seems to me that a normal human being, operating from a place of empathy, might express feelings of sorrow that the young male athletes in his charge were abused to the point that some considered suicide and others quit sports altogether, instead of accusing them of lying. Ritchie, for example, said his father was so disappointed about his decision to quit wrestling — he could not bring himself to tell his father why — that it permanently overshadowed their relationship. I find no evidence that Jordan ever expressed feelings of regret for his wrestlers, though he did insist to Politico in 2018, 'I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it. And look, if there are people who are abused, then that's terrible and we want justice to happen.' If? Although the explosive new documentary has been overshadowed by the implosion taking place in MAGA world over the 'Jeffrey Epstein files' and questions about Trump's relationship with the serial sexual predator, the OSU scandal is far from being yesterday's news. So far, OSU has settled with nearly 300 abuse survivors, each receiving an average of $252,000. But many are not willing to settle for what they consider peanuts and note that the average payout to Nassar's victim is more than $1 million. On Friday, as part of a federal civil lawsuit filed by some of them, Jordan was reportedly due to be deposed under oath for the first time about the allegations that he knew about the abuse and failed to protect his wrestlers. Steve Snyder-Hill, one of the first OSU non-athletes to report that he'd been assaulted by Strauss in 1995, told NBC that he planned to be present for Jordan's deposition. 'I expect him to lie under oath,' said Snyder-Hill. 'I don't know a nicer way to put it.' Bluesky: @rabcarian Threads: @rabcarian
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
BTN programming schedule for 2025 Big Ten Football media days next week
The college football season, and the opportunity to watch YOUR Ohio State Buckeyes on the gridiron, is just a little over a month away. And, if we are that close to breaking the seal on the 2025 college football season, it must be time for the annual spectacle that is Big Ten football media days. This year, the conference is taking advantage of its extended footprint out west by holding media days in Las Vegas, Nevada, so if there were ever a reason to cover all of the player and coach interviews, this would be it. Unfortunately for me, I'll be on a Disney Cruise instead, so the coverage will have to be from the view of the ocean with a drink in hand instead (woe is me). But never fear, we'll bring the coverage you deserve to you, and it all starts with understanding what the programming schedule will be. As always, the Big Ten Network will be on-site covering it all, and since there are 18 teams in the league, the event is now spread out over three days. Here's a look at the schedule of events the Big Ten Network will be covering Day 1: Tuesday, July 22: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State, Rutgers *Note: Ohio State head coach Ryan Day is set to take to the podium at 12:45 p.m. ET Day 2: Wednesday, July 23: Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State, Washington, Wisconsin Day 3: Thursday, July 24: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA, USC There are always some interesting quotes, sound bites, and moments during Big Ten football media days, so make sure you come along for the ride with us. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 Arizona Cardinals training camp roster preview: LB Cody Simon
We will preview every player on the Cardinals roster leading up to training camp. This is about LB Cody Simon. The Arizona Cardinals report to training camp on July 22 and begin the process of preparing for the regular season, forming the roster and determining starting jobs and roles on the team. Leading up to the start of camp, we will take a look at every player on the offseason roster, their background, their contract, their play in 2024, questions they face and their roster outlook. Next up is inside linebacker Cody Simon. Cody Simon background, 2024 season A fourth-round pick from Ohio State by the Cardinals in this year's draft, Simon was a team captain in 2024 and was named winner of the Bill Willis Block "O" jersey for leadership, toughness, accountability and highest of character. He was the defensive MVP in a playoff win over Oregon with 11 tackles (three for loss) and 2.0 sacks and in the national championship win with eight tackles (one for loss). In five seasons with the Buckeyes, Simon played 58 games with 30 starts, totaling 259 tackles (23 for loss), 10.0 sacks, 11 passes defensed, an interception and four quarterback hurries. Of the 259 tackles, 255 were in his final four seasons. In 2024, he had a career-high 112 tackles (13 for loss), 7.0 sacks and seven passes defensed. Aside from football, Simons was a Big Ten Conference distinguished scholar, a four-time Ohio State scholar-athlete and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree who graduated with a degree in finance and is currently working on a master's degree in human development and family services. Cody Simon 2025 contract details, cap hit Simon's rookie four-year contract is worth $5.2 million, including a $1.005 million signing bonus. His base salary this year is $840,000 and he carries a salary-cap charge of $1.091 million. 2025 questions, roster outlook With ability, character and intelligence, Simon could give Akeem David-Gaither strong competition for the starting Mike linebacker job. He appears headed for that at some point, depending on how quickly he becomes comfortable with the defensive scheme. Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard discusses last six months while at ESPYs
To say that it's been a memorable and eventful last six months for former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard would be an understatement. Not only did he realize a couple of childhood dreams by winning a College Football Playoff national championship and by being selected in the NFL draft, but he also appeared on the red carpet at the ESPYs because the Buckeyes were nominated for "Team of the Year." And while OSU didn't win that award, he still got to rub elbows with American sports' royalty and experience all that comes from being a part of the festivities. One other thing Howard has been able to do is learn from future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers after he was signed to lead the Steelers this coming year. Howard -- all decked out in his best -- took some time while at the ESPYs to talk about those things and more while on the red carpet ahead of sitting in the audience in person to watch the annual sports awards show. As he always is, Howard was gracious and engaging in talking about a six-month whirlwind that will undoubtedly be unlike any other in his life. He reflected on his transfer to Ohio State, making a run to the national championship, and what it means to be mentored by Rodgers. You can catch all of his comments below, thanks to the ESPN College Football "X" account. It's unlikely that Howard will get much time under center in Pittsburgh this season, but as Rodgers moves on, if he can learn and make the most of the opportunity he has, maybe we can see him doing some of the same things he did for Ohio State for the Steelers in the near future. I wouldn't bet against him at this point. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
USA Today
8 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
ESPN names Ohio State football's x-factor in 2025
Every college football season, there are some things a team can feel pretty good about as known commodities. For Ohio State, it's almost a lock that receiver Jeremiah Smith is going to have a huge year, and you can also bank on safety Caleb Downs being a difference maker on defense. Aside from that, there are a lot of new starters and things that we just don't know. For instance, how will the defense retool? Can the new quarterback be productive enough to give the Buckeyes a chance at some pretty big things in 2025? What about the running game that lost two fantastic options from last year? All of those and more need to be answered this fall and will go a long way towards what type of year Ohio State has. But who, of anyone, might be the X-factor for the Buckeyes and make the ultimate difference between a good year and a great one? It's a good question, and trying to figure it out is just a best-guess type of scenario, but ESPN was up for the task in trying to identify who that is when it identified an X-factor for every one of its top 25 teams heading into this coming season. For Ohio State, that X-factor is Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare, who should grab the starting tight end spot after having a very, very productive 2024 season for the Boilermakers. "The Buckeyes landed the top tight end in the transfer portal in Klare, who arrived in Columbus from Purdue, wrote ESPN's Jake Trotter. "Klare caught 51 passes for 685 years and four touchdowns during his sophomore season, easily leading the Boilermakers in those three categories. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Klare figures to give the Buckeyes a dynamic target over the middle of the field, nicely complementing receiver Carnell Tate and All-American wideout Jeremiah Smith. Klare's presence should also give Ohio State's new starting quarterback -- whether it's Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz -- a playmaking security blanket early in the season. With Smith set to command attention on the outside, Klare should find plenty of favorable matchups operating inside." It's a good point by Trotter. With arguably the best receiving group in college football, and perhaps the best weapon in the game with Jeremiah Smith, Klare could be left open a lot on check-downs and across the middle. And with a new quarterback, he could be like a warm glass of milk as a safety valve when needed. It could result in a huge year for Klare. Of course, there are other guys or things that could be an X-factor, especially on defense or in the running game, but I like ESPN's thoughts on Klare being a difference maker, even more than many might think in 2025. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
