Former Ohio State Wrestler Mike DiSabato appeared on CNN Wednesday afternoon after Rep. Jim Jordan again denied allegations he knew about sexual abuse at the university.

DiSabato’s allegations prompted an investigation at OSU earlier this year and were the subject of an NBC News report in which he claimed Jordan — who served as an assistant wrestling coach — ignored sexual abuse of wrestlers by the team’s doctor, Richard Strauss.

After detailing instances of the abuse, CNN’s Brooke Baldwin asked DiSabato about the specific times he claims to have told Jordan about the doctor’s behavior.

“These conversations were not individual conversations,” DiSabato said. “They were conversations with a group of athletes who were complaining on a regular basis, not only about Dr. Strauss but the conditions within Larkin’s hall that forced us to take showers with not only Dr. Strauss, but other university faculty members and professors who had access to our shower facility, and on a daily basis were involved in lewd acts that included public masturbation [and] excessive soaping of their groin area.”

“Dr. Strauss was one of those that took a lot of showers and soaked himself a lot,” DiSabato said. “When you look at the definition of sexual abuse and sexual assault — and Jim Jordan went on record saying he knew about the facilities — he took showers with us. He saw Dr. Strauss and others perform these acts in front of us.”

DiSabato went on to say that he reached out to Jordan this year, and “begged him to get involved” with the investigation into the abuse, but the congressman simply “didn’t deny what was happening, and he said, ‘I just want to be left out of it.’”

The former wrestler compared the situation at Ohio State to the abuse of young female gymnasts at the hands of U.S. doctor Larry Nassar, and said Jordan’s refusal to admit abuse by Strauss is “baffling” to the “entire team.”

“I’ve spoken to over 15 athletes today, and we can’t figure why he would create a narrative that’s just not true and it’s not necessary — we’re not blaming him for his actions then,” DiSabato said.

Watch above, via CNN.

[image via screengrab]

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