A documentary on the Ohio State sports sexual abuse scandal premieres Monday evening at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
"Surviving Ohio State," is produced by George Clooney and was four years in the making. It dives into the abuses by the late Dr. Richard Strauss, Ohio State's sports medicine physician from 1978 to 1998. Strauss died by suicide in 2005.
One Strauss survivor who appears in the documentary, Steve Snyder-Hill of Columbus, said he hopes it brings attention to Ohio State's response to the scandal, which he believes wasn't adequate.
"I'm hoping this documentary really highlights OSU's actions. I mean, I don't know what it's going to take to cause them to be better or to make meaningful change," Snyder-Hill said.
Snyder-Hill wasn't an athlete at Ohio State, but he was a student in 1995 when he went to the student health center for an examination.
Whistleblowers exposed the Strauss scandal in 2018. The next year, an Ohio State University investigation into the allegations reported that Strauss sexually abused more than 170 victims, who were mostly male.
The number of victims has since been estimated to be much higher, possibly in the thousands. Ohio State University has settled with almost 300 Strauss victims for more than $60 million. Several lawsuits against the university remain pending.
The documentary draws on the 2019 report and the testimony of survivors, according to the Tribeca Film Festival.
"(Director Eva Orner) not only brings crucial attention to a dark chapter in collegiate athletics, but also sparks essential dialogue regarding the urgent call for greater protections for students within educational institutions," reads a description of the film on Tribeca's website.
"With this documentary, I feel that we're going to get the attention that is needed to this story," said Snyder-Hill.
Snyder Hill told WOSU he had not seen the documentary yet, but he planned to attend the premiere Monday night.
Snyder-Hill worries that current students aren't aware of the scandal or the university's response. He hopes students and their parents see the documentary.
"I think you should educate yourself on the history of this university and get some information about what could happen if it happens to your child," Snyder-Hill said.
Snyder-Hill said he interviewed with documentary makers for "quite a bit of time."
Snyder-Hill is not a newcomer to interviews. He said he's talked about his experience with Strauss and his subsequent interactions with Ohio State hundreds of times since the scandal broke.
"I have to say that the trauma that I incurred from Strauss is probably minuscule compared to the trauma that OSU has put me through for eight years...they've dragged this out," Snyder-Hill said.
Ohio State spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement that all male students who filed lawsuits were given the opportunity to settle and that the university continues to cover the cost of certified counseling services and medical treatment.
Johnson said the university is "fundamentally different today than when Strauss was an employee."
"Over the past 25 years, Ohio State has made robust changes to its culture and policies to protect students, faculty and staff," Johnson wrote in a statement.
Ohio State was not involved in the production of the documentary.
After Tribeca, the film will hit small screens on HBO's streaming service, Max, on June 17.
