#OSU #Massage #Football #Investigation
Ohio State University has banned a massage therapist who allegedly exploited football players by offering them free massages to initiate sex with them 'for her own gratification,' it has been revealed.
The massage therapist, 41, offered dozens of Ohio State football players massages and engaged in consensual sex with five of them, according to a report released by the university. She admitted to having sex with two of them.
A law firm hired by the university found that no criminal or NCAA violations occurred but recommended the findings be reviewed by a prosecutor, the report said.
The massage therapist, whose name and age was not released, agreed to give up her license on March 22 in order to avoid an investigation by the state medical board.
The investigation by the law firm Barnes & Thornburg came after a complaint was made on March 14, 2020, with the State Medical Board of Ohio alleging that she was offering free massages to initiate interactions and then demanding payment.
'She appeared to be driven by her desire for physical and contact with members of the OSU football team,' the report reads.
However, the investigation did not uncover any evidence that she engaged in any form of extortion or other financial coercion. The report said no university policies were found to have been violated.
The massage therapist seemed intent on having sex with the football players specifically, and there have been no indications that she targeted student athletes from OSU sports teams other than the football team.
The Medical Board shared the claim with the Ohio State University Police Division in early March 2021 - but cops determined they couldn't investigate further because the alleged events occurred off campus and because there was no allegation of a crime committed.
The law firm interviewed 117 current and former players and more than 40 coaches and staff members to determine if any of the students had been a victim of a crime and if any violations of NCAA rules occurred.
The massage therapist allegedly carried out her scheme to have sex with the college football athletes from 2018 through 2021 in off-campus housing and in hotels.'
She used 'aggressive tactics' to try to have sex with the student athletes including sending sexually explicit messages and nude photographs to the athletes through social media, according to the report.
'She would often times make references to their anatomy and even sent naked pictures to a few football student athletes,' the report reads.
Investigators said 'many football student athletes described her as touching their genital area either accidentally or in an inappropriate way during massages.'
One student allegedly said that during a massage, she purposely brushed up against his genitals a couple of times and would say, 'my bad,' each time.
According to the report, she also claimed that she had clients in the NFL, the NBA, the MLB, and the NHL, as well as in NCAA football, to add to her credibility. She would also provide them with receipts in an attempt to appear professional.
In a letter that was hand-delivered to the massage therapist, the university's director of public safety banned the massage therapist from 'any of its campuses for any reason' and that a violation of the ban would amount to criminal trespassing.
Eugene D. Smith, a Senior Vice President for the university, wrote in another letter that the ban includes purchasing season tickets for any athletic event or receiving tickets from others.
'The investigation is now complete, and it determined that you engaged in exploitative and inappropriate behavior toward University student-athletes,' Smith's letter reads.
'Specifically, you targeted student-athletes for activity under the guise of having a legitimate massage therapy business, and created a scheme to manipulate student-athletes for the purpose of advancing your own interests.'
