STWF Sports | COLUMBUS, Ohio | May 7, 2026 — Thirty former Ohio State Buckeyes football players, including several former NFL athletes, have agreed to join a federal lawsuit against Ohio State University over decades-old sexual abuse allegations involving former team doctor Richard Strauss.
Stories from Former Ohio State Football Players
Attorney Rocky Ratliff confirmed Thursday that the former players recently signed agreements to become part of the ongoing legal action that has surrounded the university since 2018. The lawsuit accuses Ohio State of failing to stop Strauss from abusing student-athletes during his time working at the school between 1978 and 1998.
Strauss died in 2005.
According to Ratliff, many of the players spent years wrestling privately with the emotional impact of the alleged abuse before deciding to come forward publicly.
“They are tearful and living with it,” Ratliff said in an interview Thursday. “But as this case progresses on, they see how Ohio State’s treating athletes from the university, and I think they want people to know it’s OK, even if it is male-to-male sexual abuse, to come forward.”
Of the 30 former players joining the lawsuit, only three have agreed to publicly identify themselves at this time: Al Washington, Ray Ellis and Keith Ferguson.
All three were members of Ohio State’s 1980 Rose Bowl team under legendary head coach Woody Hayes.
Ratliff said some additional former Buckeyes football players previously reached confidential settlements with the university that kept their identities sealed from the public.
The lawsuit remains one of the largest abuse-related legal battles in college athletics history.
Hundreds of former students and athletes have accused Strauss of misconduct during medical examinations and treatment sessions over a 20-year period at Ohio State. Strauss served on the university faculty and medical staff before retiring in 1998 with emeritus status, an honor later revoked by university trustees.
Ohio State released a statement Thursday saying the university has worked “sincerely and persistently” to address the claims brought forward by survivors.
The school stated it has offered both financial and non-financial support, including counseling services and medical treatment options.
As of April 15, Ohio State says it has settled with 317 survivors for more than $61 million while continuing mediation efforts in additional cases.
For many former players, however, the emotional scars remain difficult to discuss publicly even decades later.
Washington, now 67, described the alleged abuse he experienced as an 18- or 19-year-old player during what he called “unlawful” physical examinations by Strauss.
He admitted many players attempted to cope by joking privately among teammates at the time.
“But it was really uncomfortable,” Washington said.
The former defensive back explained that he rarely discussed the experiences publicly in the years afterward. However, the release of the 2025 documentary Surviving Ohio State forced him to revisit painful memories.
“As a matter of fact, I couldn’t make it through that movie,” Washington said. “The pain and anguish that I saw, I just couldn’t take it.”
Washington later played one season in the NFL with the New York Jets after being drafted in 1981.
Ellis also went on to a lengthy professional career, spending seven seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns from 1981 through 1987.
Ferguson played professionally from 1981 to 1990, including time with the San Diego Chargers and Detroit Lions.
The growing number of former athletes joining the lawsuit underscores the continued national attention surrounding accountability in college athletics and the long-lasting impact abuse allegations can have on survivors.
As legal proceedings continue, former players say the decision to come forward is no longer only about financial settlements or public accountability, but also about ensuring future athletes understand they are not alone in speaking about abuse and trauma.
