Canadian swimmer alleges he was groomed by sex-abusing Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss

It was a gift with some awful strings attached.

Toward the end of his sophomore year at Ohio State University, then-star swimmer Derek de Jong discovered that he was a lock for one of just a dozen spots in the school’s prestigious exercise science program — and that the team physician, Richard Strauss, had made it happen.

De Jong said he had not even considered applying because his grades were nothing special and this was a highly competitive program.

“Strauss found out that I was interested in medicine,” de Jong told NBC News. “He intervened on my behalf without my request.”

But Strauss wanted something in return, he said.

“When I got in he congratulated me and asked, ‘When do you want to repay me for it?’” de Jong said.De Jong said he knew what Strauss was after.

Read NBC News