Former Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee said he will be questioned under oath soon about the sexual abuse of Ohio State University athletes decades ago by a team doctor.
Gee told WOSU after a speaking engagement Wednesday at OSU's Fawcett Center he hasn't been deposed yet, but has been called to do so. Hundreds of male students, many of whom were athletes, reported Strauss sexually abused them.
Gee said he doesn't know what he will say in his deposition.
"My lawyers would say, 'well, don't say anything,' but the truth of the matter is I really cannot remember much of anything," Gee said. "I'll have to go back through my notes to see if I have any previous memories or even if I had any previous conversations about it, and I will do that, but I have yet to be deposed."
Gee was president twice from 1990 to 1998 and then a second time from 2007 to 2013. Gee is now back at OSU on a one-year consultant agreement to work, in part, with the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society.
Strauss worked at the school from 1978 to 1994, which overlapped with Gee's tenure for four years. Strauss died by suicide in 2005.
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a former assistant wrestling coach and former Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger were deposed in July.
Gee said he hasn't spoken with any of Strauss' victims yet. He said he will take the advice of his lawyers moving forward.
"That is the wisdom right now," Gee said.
Gee said he has not watched the HBO documentary that premiered earlier this year called “Surviving Ohio State." The documentary on the Strauss scandal was produced by George Clooney and directed by Academy and Emmy award-winning director Eva Orner.
"Not that I did not want to watch it. I just haven't had time," Gee said.
One key takeaway from the film is that almost all of the survivors who were interviewed insisted the university and its officials knew about Strauss' actions. The film asserts officials at the university lied about Strauss and attempted to cover up his abuse.
The athletes and other victims described Strauss' actions in detail. Strauss' actions ranged from him conducting genital exams without gloves, even for injuries to an athlete's ear or ankle. In one case, a former hockey player described how he sought Strauss' help for an injury when Strauss drugged him, brought the athlete to his home and raped him.
Ohio State officials started taking steps to investigate and discipline Strauss when Gee was hired in the mid-1990s. Strauss challenged the allegations. Strauss also protested his removal from the student health and athletic departments. He appealed to Gee, but there was no indication that Gee ever personally responded.
OSU's 182-page report from Perkins-Coie Law Firm on the scandal points out that Gee was made aware of the abuse in 1997. Strauss was allowed to retire the next year and was awarded faculty emeritus status.
Gee is mentioned dozens of times in the report.
Ohio State University has said in the past the university doesn’t comment on ongoing legal matters. In a written statement in July, OSU said that since 2018, Ohio State has reached settlement agreements with around 300 Strauss victims who filed legal complaints for more than $60 million.
"All male students who filed lawsuits have been offered the opportunity to settle. In addition, the university continues to cover the cost of professionally certified counseling services and other medical treatment, including reimbursement for counseling and treatment received in the past," the statement reads.
It’s been seven years since the first lawsuits were filed against the university in connection with the scandal.
