Rep. Jim Jordan has now hired conservative PR firm Shirley & Banister Public Affairs to help him out of his sexual abuse coverup scandal. The first thing they did was to put out statements by other coaches, who are as guilty as Jordan is for not revealing the truth about Dr. Strauss.
In a phone call to The Hill, coach Hellickson, who has as much to lose, reputation wise as Jordan came out with hellfire and brimstone to defend Jordan's and his own reputation.
In a phone interview on Monday, former Ohio State University head wrestling coach Russ Hellickson vehemently denied that he or Jordan had ever seen or been told that Dr. Richard Strauss was molesting or sexually assaulting OSU wrestlers during the 1980s and '90s.
“I am frankly pissed off at what they are doing to Jim Jordan. This is hysteria and politics running the narrative,” Hellickson told The Hill in a phone interview. Jordan “gave his heart and soul to the personal development of these athletes. If they are attacking him, why aren’t they attacking the 30 or 40 other coaches at OSU?"
Five other coaches at OSU have stated they and the Ohio Congressman were unaware of the sexual abuses that were taking place (allegedly) under their noses.
Hellickson said, “Jim Jordan didn’t know anything. I didn’t know anything, and I don’t think any of the other coaches knew anything.”
There you go.
It's like asking members of Michael Corleone's crew if he was doing anything illegal.
There is no reason for seven wrestlers to come forward and expose Jordan's lack of a spine except to right a horrible wrong.
Ed. note:
So, what about the voyeurism and rampant sexual misconduct taking place that caused the head coach to beg to move the program off-campus to a private facility? Why is it acceptable, in this day of #MeToo, for men to come forward and be disbelieved? It's shameful.
No amount of PR spin changes the fact that these wrestlers are coming forward, they are speaking out, and they deserve to be heard and believed, conservative spin fixers nothwithstanding.
-Karoli
