Before the university finally voted on a settlement, there were decades of stories that many survivors carried alone, stories that never received the public attention they deserved for years. Now, one of the longest-running and most painful chapters in Ohio State University history related to Richard Strauss is approaching its conclusion.

As reported by Eleven Warriors on June 3, the Ohio State Board of Trustees voted Wednesday to approve a $100 million settlement involving hundreds of survivors of former university doctor Richard Strauss. The vote was passed unanimously as part of a consent agenda.

“Ohio State and 279 of the 280 individual remaining Richard Strauss survivors involved in the pending litigation have reached settlements in principle in a total amount of $100 million,” a joint statement released by the university and the plaintiffs after the board meeting stated. “The university’s Board of Trustees has now publicly ratified these agreements in principle, and all parties thank the mediators for their assistance.”

For Ohio State, it is another costly step toward accountability. But it is something much more complicated for survivors. OSU President Ravi Bellamkonda emphasized that survivors remain part of the Buckeye community.

“The survivors of the Strauss abuse are all Buckeyes and will always be a part of our family and our community, and I firmly believe that,” he said. “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 an important step forward.”

That statement matters because this story has stretched across generations. Before this approval, Ohio State had already paid more than $61 million to 317 survivors since March 2020. Board chair John Zeiger acknowledged the significance of the development but noted that settlement details remain confidential until finalized.

“It’s important we respect the court’s order and comply with the mediator’s directive,” he said. “But we will provide additional information on this resolution when we are positioned to do so.”

Ohio State officials said the settlement came after months of court-ordered discussions led by retired Judge Layn Phillips. From the university’s perspective, the agreement was about bringing a difficult legal battle to an end in a way they considered fair to everyone involved. But for many survivors, this was more than just about money or legal paperwork. 

“The thing that we get to live with is that OSU is guilty,” survivor Stephen Snyder-Hill said. “There’s a documentary that says they’re guilty. Our case will be quoted. And every time that somebody sues for Title IX, and if the school covered it up, it’ll use our cases as to the ability to get through. So that is a win. To me, I think that those things were our victory.”

The Richard Strauss case also raised questions about how much the school knew and whether enough was done when concerns first came out. An independent investigation released in 2019 found that at least 177 students were mistreated by Strauss during his 20 years at Ohio State. The report said the university first heard the complaints in 1979, just months after he came to the school. 

Strauss worked closely with student-athletes and held several positions within the university’s sports medicine and health programs. Investigators found that he often used routine medical appointments as opportunities to carry out unnecessary genital and rectal exams. 

As more details became public, hundreds of former students came forward. In total, more than 520 former Ohio State students filed lawsuits connected to the case. This settlement came weeks after several high-profile survivors publicly shared their experiences for the first time.

More former Ohio State athletes finally spoke up

In early May, 30 former Ohio State football players publicly joined the Gonzales v. Ohio State lawsuit. For years, football players stayed away from the public face of the Strauss scandal. The 2019 Perkins Coie investigation documented 177 firsthand accounts of abuse, but only three came from football players. Wrestlers accounted for 48 allegations, while gymnasts represented 16. But that changed when former Buckeye standouts, including Al Washington, Ray Ellis, and Keith Ferguson, stepped up. 

“We stand together in solidarity as former teammates and Buckeyes who love our university and the legacy of Coach Woody Hayes,” he said. “Coach Hayes always preached to us to ‘Pay Forward.’ 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 has happened to us.”

Those public confessions encouraged others to come forward. Recently retired Columbus Fire Chief Jeffrey Happ revealed that Strauss abused him when he was just 15 years old at Bishop Ready High School. That also encouraged Tim Becker, who shared his story during a May 26 press conference, hoping it would encourage other survivors to find their voices.

Now, survivors like Snyder-Hill, Washington, Happ, Becker, and hundreds of others have ultimately secured recognition. After decades of silence, investigations, legal battles, and institutional scrutiny, their stories are now part of Ohio State’s history forever.