GOP congressman says he 'never knew about any type of abuse' when he was a wrestling coach
Republican congressman Jim Jordan is forcefully denying allegations that he knew Ohio State University wrestlers he coached were being sexually abused by the team doctor.
The powerful conservative deal maker from Ohio who has been accused of negligence by students he coached more than two decades ago says 'it’s not true' that he was aware that wrestlers were being molested and turned a blind eye.
'I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it,' he told Politico on Tuesday. 'And look, if there are people who are abused, then that’s terrible and we want justice to happen.'
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan is being accused by former Ohio State University wrestlers he coached more than two decades ago of failing to stop the team doctor from molesting them
Rep. Jordan was assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University from 1986 to 1994
Jordan has repeatedly said he knew nothing of the abuse until the former wrestlers spoke out earlier this year.
But his denials have been met with skepticism and anger from two former members of the team, NBC News reported.
Former wrestler Mike DiSabato has said that Jordan is 'absolutely lying' when he says he did not know about the allegations.
DiSabato and Dunyasha Yetts both claim that Jordan - the founder of the House Freedom Caucus - was complicit in the abuse that the university is currently probing.
In April, Ohio State University announced it was investigating accusations that Dr. Richard Strauss, who died in 2005, abused team members when he was their doctor from the mid-1970s to late 1990s.
Jordan was assistant wrestling coach from 1986 to 1994.
His office denied Tuesday to DailyMail.com that he witnessed or had knowledge of the allegations during his tenure.
'Congressman Jordan never saw any abuse, never heard about any abuse, and never had any abuse reported to him during his time as a coach at Ohio State,' his spokesperson Ian Fury said in a statement.
Fury said, 'He has not been contacted by investigators about the matter but will assist them in any way they ask, because if what is alleged is true, the victims deserve a full investigation and justice.'
Former wrestler Mike DiSabato has said that Jordan is 'absolutely lying' when he says he did not know about the allegations
Lawfirm Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP says it has attempted to contact Jordan on behalf of the university, but he never responded. The congressman told Politico on Tuesday evening that he has no record of those calls but he would willingly help with the investigation.
Jordan, 51, is conservative firebrand who came to Capitol Hill in 2007 and quickly rose in the ranks of power. He has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Speaker Paul Ryan and is a close ally of President Donald Trump.
Three former wrestlers told NBC News that it was common knowledge that Dr. Strauss showered regularly with the students and inappropriately touched them during appointments.
They claim it would have been impossible for Jordan to be unaware.
One wrestler said he told Jordan directly about the abuse.
DiSabato, whose allegations against Strauss prompted the university to investigate, called Jordan a liar outright.
'I considered Jim Jordan a friend,' DiSabato told NBC News. 'But at the end of the day, he is absolutely lying if he says he doesn't know what was going on.'
DiSabato said he reached out to Jordan, before going to the university, to tell the congressman that he planned to go public with his allegations.
Jordan told him to 'please leave me out of it,' DiSabato claimed. 'He asked me not to get him involved.'
Another wrestler told NBC that he, too, had told Jordan what happened.
Dunyasha Yetts, who wrestled at Ohio State in 1993 and 1994, said he and others told Jordan about Strauss.
Dr. Richard Strauss, who died of suicide in 2005, is being investigated on a range of allegations, from inappropriate touching to sexual assault
Rep. Jordan is a close ally of President Trump and has been mentioned as a replacement for Speaker Ryan
'I remember I had a thumb injury and went into Strauss' office and he started pulling down my wrestling shorts,' he told the news network. 'I'm like, what the f--- are you doing? And I went out and told Russ and Jim what happened. I was not having it. They went in and talked to Strauss.'
Yetts said he and his teammates talked to Jordan numerous times about their interactions with the doctor.
'For God's sake, Strauss's locker was right next to Jordan's and Jordan even said he'd kill him if he tried anything with him,' Yetts said.
As for Jordan, Yetts said, 'He's a great guy. We would have all these great talks with him and he talked about how one day he'd be the president of the United States.'
'So it's sad for me to hear that he's denying knowing about Strauss,' he said. 'I don't know why he would, unless it's a cover-up. Either you're in on it, or you're a liar.'
Another former teammate of DiSabato's said there is no way Jordan could have avoided the rumors 'because it was all over the locker room.'
The university is investigating the allegations against Strauss, which range from inappropriate touching to sexual assault.
In May the school expanded its investigation.
'To date, the investigative team has received confidential reports from former Ohio State varsity men student-athletes affiliated with cheerleading, fencing, football, gymnastics, ice hockey, swimming, volleyball and wrestling,' a university official said in a statement earlier this year. 'We are sharing this information to encourage our community past and present to come forward.'
When the first stories about the investigation appeared this spring, Jordan told The Columbus Dispatch, 'I had not heard about any type of abuse at all.'
He also said that 'no one reported any type of abuse' to him.
Jordan was a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion during his time at the University of Madison-Wisconsin. He was a four-time state wrestling champion. In the 1985 NCAA championship match, Jordan defeated future two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion John Smith.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Strauss died of suicide in 2005 after struggling with pain and other health issues.