Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) may think he won’t have any trouble winning another term in the House of Representatives, but a group of survivors who say they were sexually abused by a team doctor while Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University, are trying to derail the congressman’s bid for reelection.
According to WCMH-TV, the group says Jordan’s failure to report what was happening makes him unfit for any elected office.
Some survivors of sexual violence at the hands of former Ohio State University physician Richard Strauss have taken their advocacy to Ohio’s 4th U.S. House District race, where Democratic hopeful Tamie Wilson faces an uphill struggle against incumbent Republican Jim Jordan.
Abused by the team doctor under the guise of medical exams from 1978 to 1998, the survivors – some of whom donned “#MeToo Jordan Knew” T-shirts outside Ohio Stadium on Saturday during an Ohio State football game – argued Jordan’s failure to protect them from a predator makes him unfit for office.
Jordan’s Democratic challenger, Tamie Wilson, had this to say about the incumbent congressman:
“Character matters. If this guy is going to be a part of sexual abuse, he’s not going to defend the Constitution or our country.”
For his part, Jordan says any allegations against him are unfounded and not supported by some who have reached out to him.
“The number of wrestlers who have reached out to me, who’ve said this is complete baloney. We’ve got statements that have been sent to us, people willing to help and tell the truth. We’ll continue to get that information out.”
And yet, dozens of former student athletes report that Dr. Strauss, between the years of 1979 to 1996, performed medically unnecessary genital exams, which they reported to university officials, including Jordan. Yet nothing was reported by those officials and Strauss continued to molest young boys.
Strauss survivor Tom Lisy notes:
“His coverup of the OSU sexual assault is the real crime, the real slight. There’s guys I know who trained with him every day and they went through a journey together and he has completely turned his back to them.”
