The HBO Original documentary SURVIVING OHIO STATE, directed and produced by Oscar® and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Eva Orner (HBO’s “Brandy Hellville & The Cult of Fast Fashion”), debuts Tuesday, June 17 @ 9:00PM ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
SURVIVING OHIO STATE tells the story of the male victims of Dr. Richard Strauss, a sports medicine physician and serial sex abuser employed by The Ohio State University (OSU) from 1978 to 1998. Bravely told by the student-athletes and others who concealed their trauma for years, the film builds on the efforts of whistleblowers and journalists who exposed the scandal in 2018. It also examines the culture that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for nearly two decades at OSU, as well as the survivors’ present-day fight to hold the school accountable.
Based on Jon Wertheim’s Sports Illustrated cover story “Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal,” SURVIVING OHIO STATE features numerous male athletes, including several former All-American wrestlers, who have come forward to share their experiences of abuse during their time at The Ohio State University. The film includes revealing interviews with OSU student-athlete alumni Mark Coleman, Adam DiSabato, Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie, and Mike Schyck; OSU alumnus Stephen Snyder-Hill, wrestling referee Frederick Feeney, and others.
Credits: HBO Sports Documentaries presents SURVIVING OHIO STATE, a 101/Sports Illustrated Studios and Smokehouse Pictures production. Directed and produced by Eva Orner; produced by David C. Glasser, Grant Heslov, and George Clooney; executive produced by Jon Wertheim, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Ron Burkle, Corey Salter, Colin Smeeton, and Marc Rosen. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner; coordinating producer, Abtin Motia.