More than a dozen former NFL players join sex abuse lawsuits against Ohio State University

Thirty former Ohio State football players, including more than a dozen who later played in the NFL, have agreed to join a federal lawsuit over alleged sexual abuse by former team doctor Richard Strauss.

Associated Press reported the development on May 7, and other outlets independently confirmed it later the same day. The lawsuit is part of the long-running Strauss litigation, which has already led to hundreds of settlements involving former Ohio State athletes and other survivors.

The new plaintiffs add another layer to one of the most significant abuse cases tied to a major college athletic department. The claims accuse Strauss of abusing athletes during his tenure at Ohio State, where the university says he worked from 1978 to 1998. Strauss died in 2005.

Ohio State says it has settled with more than 300 survivors in Strauss-related cases and continues to handle remaining claims. In April, the university said it had reached new settlements with 13 survivors, bringing the total to 317 survivors and more than $61 million in settlements.

The amended filing has not yet been publicly detailed in the available reporting, so it is not clear whether all of the new plaintiffs have been named individually. Additional updates are possible as the case moves through court.