Penn State was punished for Sandusky, but the NCAA and Big Ten have ignored Ohio State abuse

Ohio State doctor abused 1,500 -- NCAA did nothing

… Michigan State, 1,037 rapes reported in Clery Report

Two years ago, Ohio State and Michigan State, both members of the Big Ten Conference, reported more sexual assaults in their athletic programs than any college in history. 

Yet, to this day, nothing has happened. 

The actions of two physicians have included more than 2,000 incidents against athletes in the Big Ten, yet the conference, and the collegiate governing body, were silent. 

In comparison, Penn State University was punished severely for the abuse by former football coach Jerry Sandusky, and the school received horrific sanctions, some of which were eventually lifted, but which demonstrated that the NCAA took this seriously. 

Not for THE Ohio State University and Michigan State University. 

Penn State sanctions

Penn State failed to protect young boys from Sandusky, and when it was reported to the people at the highest levels of the university and football program, it did nothing. 

The nation was appalled — justifiably. 

So much so that the NCAA imposed the greatest sanctions in history, and the organization even considered the “death penalty” for the football program — in effect ending it,

On July 23, 2012, the NCAA's unprecedented sanctions were announced. It vacated Penn State football's wins from 1998-2011 and levied a $60 million fine against the school. It banned Penn State from the post-season for four years and reduced football scholarships from 25 to 15 for four years. The program was to be on probation for five years.

After being sued, the NCAA rolled back the sanctions in January 2015: Paterno had 111 wins returned to him, again making him the all-time wins leader for a head coach at the FBS level. The $60 million fine will stay in Pennsylvania. The scholarship limits and post-season play ban were earlier removed.

Janet Pickel, “Penn State football sanctioned by NCAA over Sandusky: 

Then and now,” Patriot-News, January 5, 2019

In retrospect, Sandusky’s egregious actions do not compare to OSU and MSU

Horrible numbers in the Clery Reports from Ohio State and Michigan State

In 2019, the numbers from OSU and MSU were released by the federal government, and this is what they found,

The numbers of sexual assaults included in safety reports released last week by Ohio State University and Michigan State University are unprecedented highs, thanks to the crimes linked to doctors who preyed on hundreds of students at each school.

The numbers of sexual assaults included in safety reports released last week by Ohio State University and Michigan State University are unprecedented highs, experts say, thanks to the crimes linked to doctors who preyed on hundreds of students at each school.

Ohio State acknowledged that there have been nearly 1,500 reported instances of sexual abuse tied to Dr. Richard Strauss, who worked as a sports and student health physician at the university from 1978 to 1998. The announcement came as part of Ohio State’s annual campus safety report, due on Oct. 1 of each year under the federal Clery Act.

The numbers in reports by Ohio State and Michigan State, which included reported sexual assaults by Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics and university sports-medicine doctor, are the highest to ever appear in Clery campus safety reports, said S. Daniel Carter, president of Safety Advisors for Educational Campuses, which consults with colleges and universities. Carter has monitored campus safety data for nearly three decades.

Ohio State’s 2018 report released last week includes 992 instances of fondling and 30 incidents of rape attributable to Strauss. About 450 additional Strauss incidents contributing to the total of nearly 1,500 will be included in the university’s 2019 safety report, the school said, because crimes are included in reports for the year in which they were reported.

Jennifer Smola, “Number of sex crimes at Ohio State, Michigan State ‘unprecedented’ due to Richard Strauss, Larry Nassar cases,” The Columbus Dispatch, October 6, 2019

That report was from a paper in the city in which THE OSU is located. It did not mince words. 

Ohio State: Staggering numbers

THE Ohio university tried to downplay the severity of these offenses and how much was ignored by the NCAA and Big Ten,

The staggering numbers released last week mark the first time that Ohio State officials have shared a tally of Strauss-related sexual abuse instances since the university announced an investigation into the doctor in April 2018. Strauss died by suicide in 2005. 

“In terms of violent crimes, no institution has ever reported a number this high,” Carter said of the safety reports out of Ohio State and Michigan State. “It is completely unprecedented. But obviously it’s a function of covering potentially decades of reports or incidents,” he said. 

The Perkins Coie investigation released in May found that 177 former students were sexually abused by the doctor. But federal law stipulates that Clery Act reporting statistics reflect the number of incidents reported rather than the number of victims. 

The nearly 1,500 instances would cover the 177 students who reported firsthand abuse by Strauss, some of whom reported recurring abuse. It also covered some incidents in which students who reported suffering abuse also shared that their teammates had been abused. Reportable incidents mentioned in lawsuits against the university also were included, Ohio State spokesman Ben Johnson said. 

“To help ensure an accurate accounting for Strauss’ abuse, all reportable incidents have been counted, including incidents from the Perkins Coie report and from plaintiffs’ lawsuits, some of which may overlap.” Johnson said in an email.

Jennifer Smola, The Columbus Dispatch, October 6, 2019

Conclusion

The NCAA is in trouble in so many ways, but nothing is as terrible as their unwillingness to punish these two schools. And the truth is, nothing will ever be done with them like it was with Penn State.

That is outrageous.