HBO documentary 'Surviving Ohio State' premieres 18 June on Max

HBO's original documentary Surviving Ohio State will premiere Wednesday, 18 June, exclusively on Max. Directed and produced by Eva Orner, the film investigates the decades-long sexual abuse scandal involving Ohio State University sports physician Dr. Richard Strauss.

Produced by 101/Sports Illustrated Studios and Smokehouse Pictures, the film brings together the voices of former student-athletes and whistleblowers who exposed the scandal in 2018. Dr. Strauss, employed at OSU between 1978 and 1998, has been accused by hundreds of male athletes of sexual abuse during medical appointments.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVHchm5MQOU[/embed]

The documentary is based on Jon Wertheim’s 2020 Sports Illustrated cover story, "Why Aren’t More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal." It features testimonies from former All-American wrestlers and OSU alumni including Mark Coleman, Adam and Michael DiSabato, Will Knight, Al Novakowski, Rockey Ratliff, Dan Ritchie, and Mike Schyck. Also interviewed are Stephen Snyder-Hill, referee Frederick Feeney, and others.

Surviving Ohio State aims to shed light on the institutional failings that allowed the abuse to continue unaddressed for nearly two decades. The film also follows the survivors' efforts to hold OSU accountable today.

The documentary is produced by David C. Glasser, Grant Heslov, and George Clooney. Executive producers include Jon Wertheim, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Ron Burkle, Corey Salter, Colin Smeeton, and Marc Rosen. For HBO, the executive producers are Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Bentley Weiner, with Abtin Motia serving as coordinating producer.

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