Two former Ohio State University wrestlers are accusing Rep. Jim Jordan of ignoring sexual misconduct by a university physician more than two decades ago when he was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State. There’s no claim that Jordan engaged in such misconduct, the claim is that he knew about, but failed to take action to stop, sexual harassment by a team doctor.
Jordan denies knowing about the doctor’s misconduct. The question, then, isn’t what Jordan did; it’s what he knew. That’s usually a difficult kind of inquiry.
In Jordan’s case, the two accusers are highly suspect. According to Chuck Ross at the Daily Caller, one of them, Dunyasha Yetts, served prison time for a $1.8 million fraud scheme that involved bilking professional athletes using phony documents.
The other accuser, Mike DiSabato, has been accused by the widow of a Marine killed fighting in Iraq of intimidating and bullying her over a memorial fund set up in her husband’s name. The fund was supposed to help Ohio-based athletes, Olympic hopefuls and the families of fallen soldiers.
Instead, according to Ms. Mendoza, DiSabato used it to finance a mixed martial arts venture. When the widow complained, the former wrestler tried to intimate her, she alleges. “I question the intent, the authenticity, the verity, that Mike DiSabato shares in any of his words or actions,” Ms. Mendoza says.
In addition, to his problem with the Mendoza widow, DiSabato had an ugly run-in with Bret Adams, a sports agent who represents former Ohio State and NFL football star Chris Spielman. Earlier this year, DiSabato was arrested on charges of telecommunications threats against Adams. And Adams has sued DiSabato for defamation, alleging that the former wrestler falsely told business associates that Adams was racist and sexist.
Apart from the obvious credibility problems of the accusers, the timing of their allegations raises suspicion. Jordan has been a high profile member of Congress throughout this decade. And there is no claim that he paid anyone to hush things up.
So why are these allegations against him, involving matters at least 25 years old, suddenly emerging now? The reason may be some combination of the fact that Jordan taking a lead role in vigorously criticizing the FBI and his emergence as a potential contender for Speaker of the House.
Whatever the reason, it should require more credible witnesses than Yetts and DiSabato for their allegations to be taken seriously.
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