A new HBO documentary is set to pull the curtain back on one of the darkest chapters in Ohio State University’s history.
Surviving Ohio State, produced by George Clooney and directed by Oscar and Emmy winner Eva Orner, premieres June 17th on HBO and will stream on Max. The project has been in development for years and features interviews with several former Buckeye athletes who say they were abused by Dr. Richard Strauss during his time as a university physician from 1978 to 1998.
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The trailer, which dropped June 5th, gives a preview of what’s to come: firsthand accounts from survivors, including former All-American wrestler and UFC champ Mark Coleman. The film also features stories from Adam and Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie, and Mike Schyck; athletes whose names many in the OSU community will recognize.
Strauss died by suicide in 2005. By then, he had already faced years of internal complaints that largely went ignored. Though the State Medical Board of Ohio opened an investigation in 1996, it stalled and was quietly closed in 2002 without any disciplinary action. A deeper, public acknowledgement of the abuse didn’t begin until 2018, when new complaints surfaced and the university launched an independent investigation. That uncovered abuse allegations from more than 170 students.
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While Ohio State was not involved in the production, the university remains at the center of the story. The documentary is based in part on a 2020 Sports Illustrated article by Jon Wertheim, who also serves as an executive producer.
The film will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Monday.
Watch the trailer here: