Statement on OSU President Ted Carter Resigning After Disclosing Inappropriate Relationship
Statement on The Ohio State University president Walter “Ted” Carter announcing his resignation after disclosing an inappropriate relationship:
“Ted Carter said he “made a mistake” by engaging in an inappropriate relationship. But as the legal team for hundreds of sexual assault survivors who OSU has failed for decades, we believe this goes deeper than a single mistake and is part of a deep-rooted, systemic issue throughout OSU and its leadership structure.
The OSU of today is no different than it was when hundreds of male students and athletes were abused by Dr. Richard Strauss — it continues to fail its students by engaging in wrongdoing and abusing its power.
Make no mistake: when Ted Carter said he “believe[s] we have made much progress during [his] time at Ohio State,” he is not thinking about the survivors of sexual abuse who are still fighting for justice in court. He is not thinking about the countless other scandals that have plagued this university for decades, including its ties to Les Wexner, a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein. He is only thinking about how he wants to frame his own legacy — and we believe his legacy will be that he is the latest example of how OSU continues to fail its students.
OSU’s president is doing the right thing by stepping down. Now, the rest of OSU’s leadership needs to do right by those who were abused on their watch. Today’s news shows that accountability means something, and that’s what our clients have been searching for from OSU for decades.”
– Public Justice, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, and Scott Elliot Smith, LPA, represent over 100 Strauss abuse survivors