A fourth former Ohio State University wrestler came forward Thursday to contradict Rep. Jim Jordans claim that he had no idea the wrestling team doctor was molesting athletes.
The wrestler, Shawn Dailey, said he was groped half a dozen times by Dr. Richard Strauss in the mid-1990s, when Jordan was the assistant wrestling coach. Dailey said he was too embarrassed to report the abuse directly to Jordan at the time, but he said Jordan took part in conversations where Strauss' abuse of many other team members came up.
"I participated with Jimmy and the other wrestlers in locker-room talk about Strauss. We all did," Dailey, 43, told NBC News, referring to Jordan. "It was very common knowledge in the locker room that if you went to Dr. Strauss for anything, you would have to pull your pants down.
Dailey spoke out two days after NBC News reported that three former wrestlers who were coached by Jordan more than two decades ago accused the GOP congressman of turning a blind eye to Strauss' alleged abuse and then lying about it. Jordan denied knowing anything about the abuse and continues to do so.
Dailey corroborated the account of one of those wrestlers, Dunyasha Yetts, who told NBC News that Yetts had protested to Jordan and head coach Russ Hellickson after Strauss tried to pull down his wrestling shorts when Yetts went to see him for a thumb injury.
"Dunyasha comes back and tells Jimmy, Seriously, why do I have to pull down my pants for a thumb injury?" Dailey recalled. "Jimmy said something to the extent of, If he tried that with me, I would kill him.'"
Calling Jordan a close friend, Dailey said he is a Republican and that he contributed to the powerful Ohio congressmans first political campaign for state representative in 1994.
What happened drove me out of the sport, said Dailey, a married father of two who works as a fundraiser for an Ohio college. So I was surprised to hear Jim say that he knew nothing about it."
Jimmys a good guy, Dailey added. But to say that he had no knowledge of it, I would say thats kind of hurtful.
Jordan, via spokesman Ian Fury, has denied any knowledge of the abuse. On Wednesday, Jordan, a founder of the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus, who has been floated to succeed retiring House Speaker Paul Ryan, repeated the denial in an interview with Politico.
Its not true, said Jordan, who was assistant wrestling coach at the university from 1986 to 1994. I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it.
Fury did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday after Dailey's remarks. But Jordan got a shoutout of support from President Donald Trump, who spoke to reporters Thursday on Air Force One.
I dont believe them at all," Trump said of the allegations against Jordan. "I believe him. Jim Jordan is one of the most outstanding people Ive met since Ive been in Washington. I believe him 100 percent. No question in my mind. I believe Jim Jordan 100 percent. Hes an outstanding man.
Strauss died of suicide in 2005. The university opened an investigation into the abuse in April after former Ohio State wrestler Mike DiSabato came forward with allegations.
The Perkins Coie law firm, which is overseeing the probe for the university, has interviewed more than 150 former students and witnesses so far, OSU officials said. Former athletes from 14 Ohio State sports have reported abuse by Strauss, the university said.