Victims of former Ohio State team doctor Richard Strauss demonstrated Wednesday outside of the Les Wexner Football Complex located in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. The group is calling for the removal of Wexner’s name from the complex.
Protesters gathered with signs asking “Woody or Wexner?” and two large fake checks made out to the university for $2.5 million. One of the checks depicted a $2.5 million grant from the Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund. The other depicted a $2.5 million donation from the C.O.U.Q. Foundation, which was controlled by deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.
A review by EY (previously Ernst & Young) in 2020 found, “The university also reported in July a 2007 gift of $2.5 million from the COUQ Foundation, Inc., of which Epstein was a director and officer. The review found that this gift, which supported a renovation of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, originated from the Wexner Children’s Trust and the Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund and not from Jeffrey Epstein.”
Protestors from Ohio State were joined by former athletes from the University of Michigan who faced similar sexual abuse from university doctors.
The protest was led by survivor Michael DiSabato. He cited Wexner’s affiliation with Epstein and former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, who is currently on trial for sex trafficking and prostitution charges.
“Ohio State University cannot credibly separate itself from these facts, nor can it justify continuing to honor Les Wexner with an athletic facility named after Coach Hayes,” DiSabato said.
“The question is simple,” DiSabato continued. “Woody or Wexner?”
Ohio State does have a way for members of the public to request the renaming of a building through a form on the university's website. DiSabato said that the survivors have not yet submitted their official request.
University spokesman Ben Johnson said in a statement, “Since 2018, Ohio State has sincerely and persistently tried to reconcile with survivors through monetary and non-monetary means. The remaining plaintiffs elected to continue litigation, and it is important that we allow the legal process to proceed.”
