Ohio State trustees on Wednesday approved a preliminary agreement that could total about $100 million to settle claims from hundreds of former student athletes who said they were sexually abused by Dr. Richard Strauss. The deal, pending finalization with all b
In the middle of a meeting in Columbus on Wednesday. Ohio State’s Board of Trustees moved to close a long-running legal fight over the university’s handling of Dr. Richard Strauss’ abuse. The vote approved a preliminary settlement agreement worth approximately $100 million to resolve legal claims from hundreds of former student athletes who said they were sexually abused decades ago.
Strauss worked at Ohio State from 1978 to 1998 and also ran an off-campus clinic. He died in 2005. The university had spent years contesting claims in federal court, with lawsuits filed since 2018 by former student athletes alleging the school failed to stop the abuse.
The trustees’ approval came with a key limitation: the preliminary agreement covers all but one of the 280 survivors who still had claims involved in pending litigation. Once finalized. the settlement could mark an end to a lengthy legal battle and close a painful chapter tied to the allegations against the university.
Ohio State President Ravi Bellamkonda addressed the moment directly during the meeting. saying. “The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes. will always be a part of our family and our community. and I firmly believe that. We continue to be very grateful to them for their courage in coming forward. and reaching a final resolution is very important to us and is an important step forward.”.
Long before Wednesday’s vote. an independent report had found that scores of Ohio State personnel knew of complaints about Strauss’ conduct as early as 1979. but did not investigate for years or take meaningful action. That finding has fueled the legal claims that argued the harm was not only the result of one abuser. but also of institutional failures that allowed the abuse to continue.
In a joint statement issued Wednesday, the university and plaintiffs thanked mediators and said they were working to finalize the details of the settlements.
Ohio State has already reached major terms with some survivors. The school said it had settled with 317 survivors for more than $61 million. Many former student athletes also signed sealed agreements that kept their names a secret. A lawyer in one of the lawsuits said some former NFL players were among the victims.
Taken together. the timeline stretches across multiple layers of the same story: Strauss’ employment ending in 1998. his death in 2005. lawsuits starting in 2018. and now a trustees’ vote that brings the university closer to final resolution with 280 survivors whose claims remained in pending litigation—with only one still not covered by the preliminary deal.
Ohio State University $100 million settlement Dr. Richard Strauss student athletes sexual abuse Ravi Bellamkonda Board of Trustees settlement survivors