COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University fired the director of its celebrated marching band Thursday amid allegations he knew about and ignored ‘‘serious cultural issues,’’ some involving rituals where students were pressured to march in their underwear or participate in sexually themed stunts.
Jonathan Waters had led the band since 2012 and served in lesser capacities for a decade before that. His halftime shows were considered revolutionary and drew millions of viewers on YouTube.
Ohio State president Michael Drake, on the job just three weeks, issued a video statement on the university website indicating a two-month investigation uncovered a ‘‘sexualized’’ culture inside the band and determined Waters knew about and failed to stop harassment. A spokesman said the university was required to promptly perform the inquiry after a parent complained, under federal Title IX sexual discrimination laws.
Many of the activities were longstanding traditions that predated Waters’s tenure as director, the report said.
The parent complaint said band members must swear secrecy oaths ‘‘about objectionable traditions and customs,’’ including a late-night march in which band members stripped down to their underwear.