COLUMBUS (OH)
Salon
July 9, 2018
By Mary Elizabeth Williams
We need to break down the wall of silence and shaming that surrounds the abuse and harassment of boys and men
Why does Jim Jordan have a job today? Why is working? Why aren’t his colleagues demanding he answer accusations that he was aware of alleged sexual abuse at Ohio State University when he worked there as an assistant coach from 1986 to 1994? And where, at a groundswell period in history where individuals who claim they’ve been abused and assaulted are more united and mobilized than ever, are the claims of boys and men still given only secondary consideration? Why is the male component of #MeToo still so neglected?
Ohio Rep. and founding member of the conservative Freedom Caucus Jim Jordan is considered a rising star in the Republican party. A solid supporter of the current administration who’s sponsored an Ultrasound Informed Consent Act and believes in “traditional marriage,” he’s been viewed as a potential front runner to replace Paul Ryan as Speaker if the House remains red in November. But a potential torpedo to his plans first began to emerge in April, when Ohio State announced it was investigating claims of “sexual misconduct” involving former wrestling team doctor Richard Strauss. Strauss, who was the team physician for over twenty years, died by suicide in 2005.
Then early last week, three former team members told NBC News that “It would have been impossible for Jordan to be unaware” that Strauss “showered regularly with the students and inappropriately touched them during appointments.”
Ex-student Mike DiSabato said, “I considered Jim Jordan a friend. But at the end of the day, he is absolutely lying if he says he doesn’t know what was going on.”
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