Self-identified victims of sexual abuse by former Ohio State University team physician Dr. Richard Strauss once again gathered outside Woody Hayes Athletic Center on campus Tuesday.
Two new faces joined the ever-growing group: Gahanna Director of Public Safety Tim Becker and retired Columbus Firefighter Todd Shroeck.
The pair say they decided to come forward as victims after after
Strauss was a doctor at OSU from 1978 to 1998. During that time, he is thought to have sexually abused hundreds of young men.
Becker, who was a deputy chief with the Columbus Division of Police before becoming Gahanna's safety director, said Strauss assaulted him during visits to the OSU student center in the mid-1980s. Becker was not a university athlete, but sought treatment for a rash that he developed from cycling.
During his law enforcement career, Becker worked closely with victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence, but he kept his own experience to himself for decades for fear of ridicule.
He said he understands why many survivors of sexual violence 鈥� especially men 鈥� remain silent.
"I think a big reason that men don't report it is the shame," Becker said. "They feel especially ashamed of being a victim of another male."
He said he first thought about sharing his story after hearing a radio report about
"And I listened and I heard their accounts which matched my experience. I knew then that I needed to come forward, but I didn't know who to come forth to or how," Becker said.
Schroeck said he was abused by Strauss during a body-fat examination connected to high school wrestling. Schroeck said he was 17 at the time.
Schroeck said his decision was in solidarity with Happ and Michael DiSabato, the former OSU athlete who first reported Strauss' misconduct.
鈥淛eff Happ and Mike DiSabato鈥檚 courage made it possible for others like me to finally speak,鈥� Schroeck said.
DiSabato said he's proud that other victims have come forward.
"Today is a day where we tell the world this happens to men, elite male athlete men, elite firefighters and police officers, those who protect us," DiSabato said.
He added that the expanding list of victims shows that Strauss' reach extended beyond just OSU athletes.
Happ has said that he was just 15 years old when athletes from Bishop Ready High School were asked to participate in a body fat study conducted by Strauss that was paid for by Ohio State.
Becker, Schroeck, and DiSabato also all graduated from Bishop Ready on Columbus' west side.
Tuesday, they again called for Ohio State University to hold itself accountable.
OSU spokesmen have said that university has apologized to victims and has "sincerely and persistently tried to reconcile with survivors."
The university has settled with more than 300 survivors for more than $61 million, but hundreds of athletes are still actively suing. At the beginning of May, against the university.
Becker said he was not part of any lawsuit, and was still thinking about whether to join one. He believes adults at OSU at the time were aware of Strauss' abuses.
"He was so public about it, and there were so many people around," Becker said. "There were people I believed to be employees, there were a people I believe to be professors that were all present that witnessed it. Nobody stopped it. Nobody did anything about it."
The Columbus, fire union, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 67, and the Columbus Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge No. 9 offered support to Happ, Becker and Schroeck in a joint statement.
The unions said survivors' experiences deserve to be heard "with respect, dignity, and seriousness."
"It is about acknowledging the importance of listening to those who have come forward, recognizing the lasting impact these issues can have on individuals and families, and reaffirming the principle that no institution is strengthened by silence," the statement reads.
Strauss died by suicide in 2005.