ON. ANITA AND AARON, THANK YOU.
WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT AN NBC
EXCLUSIVE.
EXCLUSIVE. THE NEW STORY FROM NBCNEWS.COM
ABOUT ALLEGATIONS INVOLVING JIM
JORDAN OF OHIO.
THREE FORMER WRESTLERS AT OHIO
STATE UNIVERSITY ARE ACCUSING
HIM OF TURNING A BLIND EYE TO
SEXUAL ABUSE WHEN HE WAS A COACH
AT THE SCHOOL.
JORD
JORD JORDAN IS A FREEDOM CAUCUS
CONSERVATIVE.
CONSERVATIVE. HE WANTS TO THROW HIS HAT IN THE
RING FOR SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE.
CORKY, THE CONGRESSMAN’S
REMITTIVE HAS SAID, REPEATEDLY,
AND SAID AGAIN IN RESPONSE TO
YOUR STORY, THAT HE HAS DENIED
KNOWING ABOUT THIS ABUSE.
DENIED HAVING KNOWLEDGE OF IT.
NEVER HAD ABUSE REPORTED TO HIM
WHEN HE WAS A COACH.
TELL US ABOUT HOW THEY’RE
RESPONDING AND WHAT ELSE YOU
HEARD FROM SOME OF THE FORMER
WRESTLERS.
WRESTLERS. >> THE WRESTLERS ALL ARE
DISMAYED BY THE STATEMENTS OF
THE CONGRESSMAN BECAUSE
EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY’S
BUSINESS.
BUSINESS. IT WAS A TINY LOCKER ROOM, IT
WAS A TALK OF THE LOCKER ROOM.
THERE WERE NO SECRETS IN THAT
LOCKER ROOM.
LOCKER ROOM. >> WHAT SPECIFICALLY ARE THE
FORMER WRESTLERS TELLING YOU?
>> THEY’RE SAYING IT WAS COMMON
KNOWLEDGE THAT THE DOCTOR WAS
GOING AFTER THE WRESTLERS.
IT WAS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT HE
WOULD TAKE SHOWERS WITH THE
TEAM.
TEAM. THEY TALKED ABOUT IT ALL THE
TIME, COMPLAINED TO THE
CONGRESSMAN WHO WAS THE
ASSISTANT COACH OVER THERE.
AND THE CONGRESSMAN AND
HELDICSON WHO WAS THE CHIEF
COACH, EVERYBODY KNEW.
>> THE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED IN
APRIL, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, IT
WAS INVESTIGATING ACCUSATIONS
THAT THIS DOCTOR YOU JUST
REFERENCED, RICHARD STRAUSS, HE
DIED IN 2005, HAD ABUSED TEAM
MEMBERS WHEN HE WAS THE TEAM
DOCTOR, IN THE TIME FROM THE
MID-1970s TO THE MID-’ 90s.
JORDAN WAS THERE PART OF THAT
TIME, ’86-’94, IN THAT TIME
PERIOD.
PERIOD. AND SAID HE NEVER KNEW THIS
ABUSE WAS HAPPENING.
EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE
HEARING FROM THEM.
>> THE THING THAT I’M HEARING
MOST IS DISMAY.
THEY LIKED JORDAN.
THEY TALKED ABOUT HAVING LOCK
DIS
DIS LONG DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ABOUT
THIS AND THAT.
HE TALKED ABOUT HOW ONE DAY HE
WANTED TO BE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. THEY LIKE AND RESPECT THE GUY.
FOR HIM TO SAY I DON’T KNOW
ANYTHING ABOUT THIS, THEY’RE
AMAZED BY THAT BECAUSE EVERYBODY
KNEW ABOUT THIS.
>> WHAT IS OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
SAYING?
SAYING? >> WELL, OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY,
TO ITS CREDIT, HAS JUMPED
QUICKLY ON THIS.
I MEAN, WHEN THE WHISTLE-BLOWING
WRESTLER CAME THROUGH, AND CAME
FORWARD WITH ALL THIS AND SAID,
YOU HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT
IT, THEY JUMPED ON IT RIGHT
AWAY.
AWAY. THEY DID NOT WASTE ANY TIME.
AND YOU KNOW, THEY HIRED AN
OUTSIDE LAW FIRM.
THEY TALKED TO ABOUT 150 PEOPLE.
THE CONGRESSMAN IS ON THEIR LIST
OF PEOPLE TO BE QUESTIONED.
HIS OWN SPOKESPERSON HAS
CONFIRMED AS MUCH, AS WELL.
>> IS THE EXPECTATION THAT
CONGRESSMAN JORDAN WOULD
COOPERATE WITH THAT?
>> WELL, YES.
>> OKAY.
>> OKAY. THAT’S WHAT YOU’RE HEARING FROM
HIS FOLKS?
HIS FOLKS? >> THAT’S WHAT HIS FOLKS ARE
SAYING, YES.
SAYING, YES. >> PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE.
THERE’S BEEN DISCUSSION ABOUT
ABUSE AT UNIVERSITIES.
I PARTICULARLY THINK ABOUT THE
GYMNASTICS STORY THAT WE’VE BEEN
COVERING FOR MONTHS AND MONTHS
ON THIS SHOW AND OTHERS.
THIS SEEMS TO BE A MOMENT OF
RECKONING FOR A LOT OF SCHOOLS
LOOKING BACK AT WHAT MAY OR MAY
NOT HAVE HAPPENED, THE
ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE AGAINST
PEOPLE IN POWER, MORE BROADLY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, PART OF
THE MOTIVATION HERE IS WHAT
HAPPENED AT MICHIGAN STATE.
THESE WRESTLERS, THESE ARE TOUGH
GUYS.
GUYS. THEY HAVE A HARD TIME
ADMITTING -- YOU KNOW, COMING TO
GRIPS WITH THE IDEA OF
THEMSELVES BEING VICTIMS OF
SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
THEY WEREN’T MOTIVATED, IN PART
BY THE BRAVERY SHOWN BY THE
WOMEN THAT CAME FORWARD AT
MICHIGAN STATE.
MICHIGAN STATE. >> CORKY SIEMASZKO, THANK YOU