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Ex-trainer sues Ohio State over sexual misconduct by doctor

Posted at 10:05 AM, Jun 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-14 10:05:28-04

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio State student athletic trainer has joined ex-athletes and other alumni alleging the university knew about and should have stopped the team doctor now accused of sexually abusing young men throughout two decades there.

Michael Heifferon's lawsuit this week cites two instances when he sought medical treatment from Dr. Richard Strauss while a trainer in the mid-1980s. Once, after being hit in the head by a hockey puck, Heifferon says Strauss gave him an injection and the student fell asleep, then awoke to find his own pants unzipped. Heifferon says he complained about Strauss to the head trainer.

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His lawsuit is at least the sixth against the university.

Ohio State says it has added programs to address sexual misconduct since Strauss retired in 1998.

He died in 2005.