Republican Jim Jordan deposed in federal suit tied to sex abuse by late Ohio State team doctor
Jordan's deposition Friday came in a federal lawsuit brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998.
Many ex-wrestlers over the years have accused Jordan, who served as assistant coach of the Ohio State wrestling team from 1986 to 1994, of knowing about the abuse and failing to act.
The 10-term congressman's office had declined to confirm Friday's deposition, but it reiterated Jordan's denial of any awareness of Strauss' crimes or the cover-up.
'As everyone knows, (House Judiciary) Chairman Jordan never saw or heard of any abuse, and if he had, he would have dealt with it,' a statement said. Jordan formerly sat for questioning during the university's independent investigation of the matter, but this was his first time under oath.
A Monday court filing shows attorneys for the former athletes also questioned Michael Murphy and John Doe 72, both plaintiffs in the case, on July 9 and July 11 respectively, and former long-time Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger on Wednesday.
The depositions follow the airing of 'Surviving Ohio State,' a documentary on the Strauss scandal produced by George Clooney and directed by Academy and Emmy award-winning director Eva Orner. The film was released June 17 on HBO and Max.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
NCIS actor's rape trial reveals disturbing selfie he sent terrified woman after he 'choked her unconscious'
Accused rapist Gabriel Olds had 'painful' sex with a 'scared' virgin who he choked unconscious as she fought desperately to breathe during intercourse, a court heard. The disgraced actor later texted a photo of himself 'humping' a tree despite the woman's requests for him to cease contact. The 53-year-old is charged with multiple counts of rape, sodomy and committing other graphic sex crimes on five women between 2014 and 2023. He was arrested in August last year and pled not guilty. The NCIS star met Jane Doe #7 (JD7) at a 24 Hour Fitness gym in Hollywood, California, in June 2023 as she was exercising on a StairMaster machine. He began flirting with the 31-year-old who was 'intrigued to know him more' and highlighted that he was an actor and writer who associated with A-listers and had attended Yale. They exchanged phone numbers after Olds had been talking about himself - 'monologuing for a long time' - and she 'wanted to leave.' The bespectacled Los Angeles comedy theater manager, a former personal trainer and mental health worker, wore a cream long-sleeved casual shirt over a mauve dress during the proceedings, with her long blonde hair pulled back with a clip. She told prosecutor Yasmin Fardghassemi that she and Olds had their first date on June 24 at The Misfit Bar in Santa Monica where he greeted her with a 'lingering hug.' He 'pressured' her to have an alcoholic drink so she ordered a glass of red wine and drank half. Although she didn't typically drink alcohol, she was 'trying to be cool.' Being pressured by Olds, she said, was a 'common theme' in their relationship. During powerful pre-trial testimony in Department 82 at the Airport Courthouse on Thursday, the witness revealed she felt 'insecure' and had only one sexual partner before meeting the accused and was still a virgin at the time. She disclosed that she suffers from vaginismus, a condition that made sex painful. 'Physical touch was not something that I had really experienced,' she said. She had attended an all-girls school where she was told to 'stay away from boys.' During the bar date, the two shared about their family histories, their different personalities and 'attachment theories.' There followed a brief stroll in nearby Palisades Park, close to the pier, overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway and the ocean. They began making out and Olds pulled down her dress and bra and began 'digitally penetrating' her over her underwear which she described as 'very painful.' She headed home afterwards and told the court Olds' actions her had caused her to bleed in her private area. He asked to see her again and while exchanging 'playful' texts they planned a second date. He immediately began asking her to send sexy pictures of herself which she declined to do. JD2 told the court that at the time she had just had a bad break-up with a co-worker before meeting Olds and was 'definitely curious at this point.' During their second date on July 7, 2023, they had pizza at a restaurant and talked about the novel Olds was writing and the TV show Westworld, the dystopian science fiction Western drama. She told him that she had never had vaginal sex but he didn't believe her. The court previously heard from other Jane Does who were allegedly slapped, punched in the head and back, choked and demeaned verbally by Olds during violent sexual encounters. Prosecutor Fardghassemi asked JD7 if she had heard of the BDSM type of sex which is favored by Olds, to which she responded: 'I live in Hollywood, so yeah, it's around.' After the meal, the pair went back to Olds' home in the Hollywood Hills. They had foreplay on his bed where he gave the woman oral sex - despite her protests - and boasted: 'I'm really good at it.' Without seeking her permission, he then set up his iPhone to record the witness which made her 'uncomfortable.' He told the footage was 'just for me.' She told the court: 'I felt psychologically and physically frozen.' He began having sex with her using condom even though she didn't want to be penetrated. She sobbed as she told the court: 'I'm disappointed that I didn't stick up for myself. I didn't know this person. I didn't love them.' The sex was 'very painful' but she went along with it. 'I basically felt like a leper,' she said. 'I didn't want to seem incompetent.' Despite her showing signs of being uncomfortable, Olds continued with the sex and was 'pretty locked into what he was doing. It was very clear that I was in distress and he was still trying to have sex.' She described the encounter up to that point as a 'disaster.' But things turned far darker and menacing when he strangled her during intercourse without warning using both of his hands. 'He started to choke me out,' she said. 'I remember the pressure getting harder and harder and harder.' She attempted to pull his hands away from her neck to relieve the pressure but became deprived of oxygen 'and things started getting fuzzy.' Olds, though, did not release his grip on her neck. 'There was a point where I went dark,' added the witness. 'I blacked out at that point. I felt really effed up.' When she came to, she was 'afraid' and realized she was in a 'dangerous situation.' She was 'super, super emotional and crying.' She repeatedly told Olds 'I need to go' but the much larger, 6' 1' tall actor remained positioned on top of his 5' 5', 155 pound victim. He seemed to be 'playing dumb' and told her 'let's talk about it.' Attorney Fardghassemi asked if she had wanted to have further intercourse at the time with him in that moment she responded bluntly, 'hell f**king no.' From the bench, Judge Lauren Weis-Birnstein repeated the same phrase to the court for clarity. The woman, who felt 'afraid' and 'embarrassed,' was able to flee Olds' home. He contacted her via text the following day to, in his words, 'clear the air' and she agreed to meet, but in public for her safety. 'I wanted to know if this person actually liked me,' she told the court, and to know 'How did something like that happen?' She shared a few more dates with Olds. They sometimes made out - with him taking more cell phone videos of her - but there was no more intercourse, despite his requests. During one get together at his home she had a panic attack because she didn't feel safe with him and she left. On July 12, he texted that she made him 'swoon' but she stated she could not 'recover trust.' She asked him to delete the videos he had taken of her and on August 3, 2023 told him via text to stop contacting her. However, on February 14 the following year - Valentine's Day - he texted her photos of himself 'humping' a tree and wrote: 'The last one is like me when I was inside of you :)' When she was shown the image Judge on a the prosecutor's laptop, the judge remarked: 'I can't tell what he's doing to the tree.' In a text to Olds on February 18, 2024 JD7 said of him: 'I have a visceral reaction of fear.' She later looked up his name online which was when she discovered he had been arrested and then contacted the Los Angeles Police Department. The bachelor actor has also appeared on popular TV shows such as Law & Order, Charmed and Boardwalk Empire and portrayed televangelist Pat Robertson in the 2021 indie film The Eyes of Tammy Faye alongside Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield. On Friday, the judge determined that Olds would stand trial on 12 felony counts and kept his bail at $3.5 million. Det. Brent Hopkins, who headed up the police investigation, told the Daily Mail exclusively: 'This was a long, extremely emotional hearing where these survivors bravely shared their stories. 'We're thankful they and all the other witnesses had the strength to see it through. 'We keep finding new stories, so if there are others out there who have not yet had their say, we hope to give them a chance to speak, as well.' Olds is being held at Los Angeles County Sheriff's North County Correctional Facility. He could spend the rest of his life behind bars if convicted on all counts.
Daily Mail
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Travis Kelce gushes over Taylor Swift with rare public statement about his superstar girlfriend
A smitten Travis Kelce described girlfriend Taylor Swift as a '20/20' in a rare public comment about the songstress this week. Kelce recently went Instagram official with Swift almost two years into their whirlwind relationship, with the Kansas City Chiefs legend sharing a photo dump of their 'offseason adventures' together. One of the pictures shows the loved-up couple posing in snowy conditions alongside NFL reporters Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews, as well as their respective partners, while seemingly on a group trip. Thompson and Andrews opened up on their time with Kelce and Swift earlier this week, calling the pop megastar a '20/20' after insisting she was a 'dream' to meet on the latest episode of their 'Calm Down' podcast. And on an Instagram post which shows the pair gushing over Taylor on the podcast, Travis couldn't resist taking to the comments section to agree with their rating of his girlfriend. He wrote: 'she's a 20/20!! Some of the best memories of the offseason. Jimmy's forever!!!' Thompson and Andrews explained how they were big Swift fans before her romance with Kelce, and that they were rooting for her to give the Chiefs star a chance when rumors of a potential romance first emerged in 2023. And after getting the chance to meet her in the offseason, she did not disappoint. Thompson said: 'I will say this: she's everything that I'd ever hoped and dreamed that she could've been and more. 'For those of you who have listened to this podcast for the five years that we have had it, you'll know our great affinity for Taylor, pre-Travis. We advocated for her to give him a chance - that clearly worked out! They are so happy and adorable. 'So when the opportunity came about for all of us to spend time together and go on vacation, we were elated to have time with them. But also, in general, to see what she was all about. 'I'm not going to elaborate too much on it other than saying that she is a dream and I adore her and I'm so happy that they make each other happy.' Andrews chimed in and said: 'We're so protective of them and their privacy and what they deserve, so that's why we never said anything or planned on saying anything. 'That's one of my favorite photos from the trip that we all took together. And I'll echo it! She's a 20 out of 20. She is so much fun. 'We love them, we are happy for them and we are happy to report back that, yes, the long awaited meeting did happen and it exceeded expectations because she is as advertised and a whole lot more'. Kelce and Swift, who have dominated headlines since they went public with their relationship in September 2023, looked smitten in a number of the snaps he posted in his Instagram dump. They are first seen posing together in a warm setting, with other pictures showing them out for dinner, clowning around in the snow and skating on an ice rink. The pair enjoyed a more low-key offseason together than last year, only making a handful of public appearances since the Chiefs' Super Bowl defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in February. The most noteworthy of the lot came when Taylor made a surprise cameo at her man's 'Tight End University' event in Nashville last month, where she took to the stage and performed her famous 'Shake It Off' song.
The Guardian
2 minutes ago
- The Guardian
ESPN reportedly selling equity stake for RedZone and other NFL properties
ESPN has reached a deal with the NFL to purchase RedZone, NFL Network and other league holdings, the Athletic reported on Friday. The NFL will receive equity in ESPN that 'is potentially worth billions' in exchange, according to the report. An official announcement is expected next week, ending a four-year period of complicated, on-and-off negotiations. Both sides declined to provide comment to the Athletic. In addition to RedZone and NFL Network, ESPN will gain access to seven more regular-season games and the NFL's fantasy football operations, as well as the potential to integrate sports betting and other special features. The NFL's equity stake in ESPN could be as much as 10%, CNBC first reported and the Athletic confirmed. An ESPN-NFL deal would require regulatory approval, a process that could take up to a year to complete. The two sides already have a cozy relationship. ESPN pays the NFL about $2.7bn per year to air a total of 25 games, including Monday Night Football. The network also holds the rights to the Super Bowls in 2027 and 2031. Friday's reported agreement comes as ESPN is preparing to launch its direct-to-consumer service, with subscribers paying $29.99 per month to bypass cable and satellite providers to view all of the network's programming through the ESPN app.
