FREMONT - After speaking to locals during a Fourth of July Tea Party rally in Fremont, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-OH, denied allegations he knew of widespread sexual assault at Ohio State University when was an assistant wrestling coach more than two decades ago.
Speaking to the media, Jordan asserted the claims made by former Ohio State wrestler Mike DiSabato were completely false.
"In light of what was said yesterday, it's just not accurate," Jordan said.
"Never heard of abuse, and if we had, we'd have reported it. The things he said about me were just flat out not true."
Kathleen M. Trafford, a spokeswoman for Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, the law firm representing Ohio State, said the investigative team had contacted Jordan’s office by email and phone to request that he participate in an interview.
"Our office went through everything, and no email, no phone, no record of them," Jordan said of the law firm attempting to contact his office. "We reached out to the law firm and asked them to give us a record of you've contacted us."
In April, Ohio State announced it was opening an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct against its former wrestling team physician, Dr. Richard Strauss.
Strauss, who served as the team's doctor from the mid-1970s to the late 1990s, died in 2005. Jordan, first elected to the House in 2006, worked as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State from 1987 until 1995.
DiSabato said discussion was widespread at the time about Strauss' alleged sexual misconduct in the locker room, but Jordan denies knowing of any abuse.
"Doc Strauss was a serial groper," DiSabato told USA Today. "Everyone knew, including Jim (Jordan)."
DiSabato and two other ex-wrestlers told NBC it was common knowledge that Strauss showered with the students and inappropriately touched them during appointments. They told NBC it would have been impossible for Jordan to be unaware, and one wrestler said he told Jordan directly about Strauss' alleged abuse.
“I remember I had a thumb injury and went into Strauss’ office and he started pulling down my wrestling shorts,” ex-wrestler Dunyasha Yetts told NBC. “I’m like, what the f--- are you doing? And I went out and told Russ and Jim what happened. I was not having it. They went in and talked to Strauss.”
Russ Hellickson was the OSU head wrestling coach at the time.
Jordan said he was never aware of any sexual abuse, but said he is willing to cooperate with the investigation.
"We're willing to talk with whoever's doing the investigation," Jordan said.
Jordan said he last spoke to DiSabato in late March or early April and characterized their relationship as friends.
"Something's changed," Jordan said. "There is no truth to the fact that I knew of any abuse."
Jordan acknowledged Wednesday that Strauss showered with the team but said that by itself was not a concern.
"We had a separate locker room and a shower area and yes, he would do that, but there were other faculty, staff and other students that would," Jordan said.
Jordan said if any abuse is discovered during the course of the investigation, he hopes justice is served to victims.
"I'll let the investigation figure all that out," he said.
Jordan is running for re-election against Democrat Janet Garrett in the 4th District of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Garrett, a retired teacher, released a statement Tuesday after the allegations against Jordan arose.
"Any allegation of sexual abuse against minors — or complicity regarding such abuse — is very serious. That damage cannot be undone. For any teacher, protecting kids is the absolute first priority — and I say that as a former kindergarten teacher. Ohio State has an obligation to get to the bottom of this with a thorough and fair investigation. Jim Jordan has an obligation to cooperate fully with that investigation," Garrett said.
Ohio Republican Central Committee 26th District Rep. Gary Click said the allegations are politically motivated in an attempt to unseat Jordan, a man Click called one of the top Republican lawmakers in the country.
"I think the more attention you give to it, the more fuel you add to the fire," Click said. "The whole reason this is coming up is because Jim Jordan is a powerful person and he's gaining more power in Congress and is an ally to the president.
Jordan told The News-Messneger in May he is interested in replacing Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House after Ryan announced he would not seek reelection.
"I know it's politically motivated," Click said.
Jordan said the timing of the story's release was interesting.
"The timing makes you wonder," Jordan said. "All I know is it's not true."
Karen Mendoza, the widow of former OSU wrestler Major Ray J. Mendoza, said she was distressed to hear DiSabato's comments.
Karen said Ray knew DiSabato and Jordan, and that the allegations made against Jordan are not true.
Comments made by Karen were released by Jordan's communications director Ian Fury via email on Wednesday.
"Mike DiSabato's seething words have awaken my spirit to speak my truth," Mendoza said in the statement. "My experience with a Mike is a person who bullied and manipulated me under the disguise of honoring his former teammate and my late husband. I do believe Mike's initial intent was pure, but later tarnished with his personal greed and objectives."
Fury also released statements from Hellickson.
"At no time while Jim Jordan was a coach with me at Ohio State did either of us ignore abuse of our wrestlers," the statement said. "That is not the kind of man Jim is, and it is not the kind of coach that I was.”
Congressional reporter Deirdre Shesgreen contributed to this story.