tOSU Sex abuse cover up and hockey

[spintheblackcircle]

Culture of Cover-up: Strauss victim comes forward; settlement details revealed | NBC4 WCMH-TV

New and never-before-seen information has come to light in the decades-long of sexual predator Dr. Richard Strauss, who sexually molested hundreds of young men at the Ohio State University.

“When I found out that they knew, when I found out that the OSU board of directors or whoever, the upper echelon knew,” said Al Novakowski, one of Strauss’ victims. “I was beyond. Well, to this day, I cannot, to this moment. Every day, I am thinking, ‘Holy ****, did these people not have kids? Did these people not have hearts or soul?’ There is a special place for these people and it’s not heaven. For those that knew, I mean, they knew.”

He was a member of the Jr. National Championship hockey team in Canada, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Novakowski was heavily recruited by Ohio State. At 18, he had never before had a physical that involved a genital exam.

“They knew, they knew the whole frickin’ time,” Novakowski said. “I chose Ohio State. I chose to come and be a Buckeye and what did I get? I wanted my degree and I wanted to be a hockey player and what did they give me? They gave me Dr. Richard Strauss and they knew about him.”

After learning there were other victims, he told his wife and a counselor.

“I had to tell my son what happened and he cried and all he said to me was, ‘Now it makes sense,’” Novakowski said. “He said, ‘I read all the articles about you going down to the states, you know you were going down there to develop and then you fell of the face of the earth.’”

Three years after leaving OSU, Novakowski played for the Columbus Chill, but he never became the NHL star he believes he would have been had he spent four years developing on a college team.

“They took everything,” Novakowski said. “They took everything that I worked for my entire life, my entire life. I wanted to get a degree and I still want to finish my degree from Oho State. I want that, they owe me that. I want my letterman, I want my jacket. I want my ring. I want my watch. I want my blanket. They stole those from me.”

Click to read more...

 

[Monk]

A couple thoughts:

1. It's unbelievable how many people had to have known about this and did nothing.
2. It's unbelievable how common this kind of abuse is in the United States, not to mention the rest of the world.
3. f*** Jim Jordan with the fury of a thousand suns.

 

[Ginger Papa]

Hi folks,

I stopped by to visit & read up on your prospects and noticed this Thread for reasons that will become apparent.

I grew up in Williams Lake and have many fond memories of watching our hometown “Mustangs” of what is now called the BCJHL. Al was the youngest player to make the Mustangs and was over 6’ tall by 15, with a strong physique to go with strong skating. You can imagine the presence he was on the ice.

I remember my Dad and I meeting him the summer after he made the Mustangs. Al was working in a local sports store (along with a couple of other players) and we were looking for help to get me started in hockey.

The owner was out, but Al spent over an hour with us. No eye rolls over our dumb questions and he even called people he knew who might have 2nd hand gear that would fit.

By the time we were done, I only had to buy a few pieces of new equipment, Al had helped me to get the rest 2nd hand, a huge savings for us, who didn’t have much to spend. When the owner came back, my Dad told him how much he appreciated Al’s efforts. The owner simply said, “Al’s a mean SOB on the ice, but he’s a gentle giant away from it. I wish I had more like him. ”

In my first couple of years of playing I’d attend the Mustangs Summer Hockey Camp. Al was one of the few players in attendance who actually seemed to be enjoying himself. The majority appeared to be just watching the clock (which I understood better when I matured and recognized teenage thinking better).

My point is that Al was a special teenager and it was picked up on by myself and most of the other participants.

I’m not embarrassed to say that he was one of my first hockey heroes and it’s heartbreaking to read what happened to him. I hope he & his family can find a way to work through this latest chapter and I’m amazed by his strength in coming forward

Please accept my apologies if this is not the place. I honestly debated Posting anything, but Al made such an impression on me as a pre-teen starting the game. I just felt the need to share who he was as a youth.

Edit: Thank you @spintheblackcircle for Posting this Article. My “Like” is my appreciation for you creating this Thread in order to bring awareness. I respectfully suggest that it’s not an easy thing to do. Much easier to create Threads on positive topics, which I myself tend to gravitate towards.

I tip my hat to you.