Who is Harold Strauss? Alleged rapist Tiffany Gordon's dad once caught her assaulting boy in locker room
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COLTON, CALIFORNIA: Six Colton High School football players are suing their school district and their athletic trainer, alleging she sexually abused and raped them in the 2000s. The six anonymous men, identified as John Does, claim their coach, Tiffany Gordon, raped them while they played football between 2000 and 2007. According to the Daily Mail, Doe 7042, one of the six anonymous John Does, had claimed the abuse was so egregious that Gordon's father, Harold Strauss, the athletic director at the time, even walked in on her raping him in the school locker room on Halloween 2007.
Speaking to Los Angeles Times about how he and one of her victims frequently needed rides home or money for food, John Doe 7042, said, "I think the fact that we were a bunch of poor kids, nobody had the thought to protect us outside the football field." When Strauss reportedly asked his daughter why they were in the locker room with the lights off, she reportedly replied that they were "just closing up and leaving," according to Doe 7042. Gordon assisted her father as the athletic trainer before taking the position of athletic director at Grand Terrace High School.
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Tiffany Gordon: Athletic trainer accused of rape by 6 former Colton High School football players
Harold Strauss, the late gridiron coach of the Yellowjackets, is credited with assisting numerous high school football players in making the transition to the professional game. While her father was the team's coach, the daughter worked as a trainer. According to the lawsuit, Coach Strauss once interrupted an alleged sexual assault while Tiffany Strauss-Gordon and a player were in a locker room. "When Coach Strauss made his way through the locker room, he confronted the two and asked why the lights were off. Gordon made excuses claiming they were closing up and leaving," CBS LOS ANGELES reported, citing legal papers.
The sexual abuse of the minors occurred all over campus, according to a lawyer for the six athletes who are suing Strauss-Gordon and the Colton school district. "That would include the locker room for the varsity football players, training rooms, weight rooms, classrooms, bathrooms, in vans to football-related events and at a few homes," lawyer Brian Williams stated. He told the news outlet that the trainer's actions were called "Tiffany's special treatment" by the coaches, who made fun of them.
According to the East Bay Times, Strauss-Gordon is accused of acting inappropriately with players between the ages of 14 and 17, between the years of 2001 and 2007. According to the lawsuit, she allegedly had sex with the teen boys and gave them oral sex. "The sheer volume of oral copulation and sexual intercourse occurring between Gordon and the minor student-athletes was not insignificant, and Defendants knew or should have known of the blatant sexual misconduct occurring," the lawsuit stated, according to the outlet.
The Colton school district is "very concerned" about the lawsuit's allegations. Gordan, who oversees athletics at another district school, has reportedly been placed on administrative leave, according to the school system. The school said to the East Bay Times, "Although the current administrative team members were not in leadership roles with the District 20 years ago, the district leadership team is extremely concerned about the allegations being made." The school added, "Our commitment is always to the safety and well-being of our students, families, and staff, and we will work with local law enforcement to protect our community and lend our support to any victims in this case."
Gordan's father, Harold Strauss died in 2019 after 30 years as a coach at various programs. According to one ex-player who is a part of the lawsuit, Strauss was a legendary figure and the most influential person in the Colton school district.