Thirty former Ohio State football players plan to join a class-action lawsuit against Ohio State University over sexual abuse by former team Dr. Richard Strauss.
They include three members of the 1980 Rose Bowl team: Al Washington, Ray Ellis and Keith Ferguson, all of whom played in the NFL. Ellis and Ferguson were team captains at Ohio State.
The players have signed letters to join the class action case, Marion attorney Rocky Ratliff said Thursday.
Strauss survivor Mike DiSabato said it's significant these players are joining the suit.
"These three players are the first football athletes to publicly stand, to be recognized publicly as plaintiffs in the case," DiSabato said.
Ratliff said the players believe now is the time.
"So, I think these guys are coming forward to make sure the people understand male-on-male sexual abuse. You don't have to sit in silence and suffer on that," Ratliff said.
Washington has participated in recent survivor-led rallies at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that called on Ohio State officials to remove New Albany billionaire Les Wexner's name from the football complex because of his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In a statement, Washington said one reason he initially did not come forward was because of fear of retaliation from the university, which he said he witnessed toward Strauss survivors.
Washington also said he was concerned about potential professional repercussions for his family. Washington is a licensed insurance agent in Ohio.
“We stand together in solidarity as former teammates and Buckeyes who love our university and the legacy of Coach Woody Hayes. Coach Hayes always preached to us to 'Pay Forward,' Washington said in the statement. "Using our voices to pay forward in this situation is not easy, but we believe it is necessary to protect future athletes and to ensure accountability for what happened to us.
"We are committed to seeing this through—not only for ourselves, but for every survivor who has carried this burden in silence," Washington said.
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement that the university has persistently tried to reconcile with survivors, including former football players.
Johnson mentioned the independent Perkins Coie report on the Strauss abuse, which found Ohio State failed to properly respond to evidence of sexual abuse by Strauss for almost two decades.
The report was released seven years ago and remains online. The document discusses the football program: “Strauss treated students who participated in a range of sports including hockey, cheerleading, volleyball, soccer, track, golf, baseball, tennis, water polo, and football.”
So far, the university has settled with 317 survivors for more than $61 million.
Strauss worked for Ohio State from 1978 through 1998. He died by suicide in 2005.
