Tressel May Want to Drop Car Keys Metaphors
There’s a good reason why you didn’t hear a peep out of us when Michigan running back Kevin Grady was busted for a DUI: we don’t like to tempt fate. Not only do most of us have our own stories making it home when we shouldn’t have, but we’re also pretty rabid about a major sports team that just so happens to have a roster consisting of nothing but college students.
More fun than a DUI class (AP Photo)Though tackle Doug Worthington fell short of Grady’s epic 0.28, he does earn style points for getting caught on Woody Hayes Drive. In addition, his effort was good enough for two Fulmer Cup points — deemed “an appropriate charge for a generic, unremarkable Ohio” (that’s rich coming from a state where these guys are the official outfitter). What, no bonus points for him being underage as well?
It’s never easy guessing what type of punishment is in Worthington’s future because unless the offense is a matter of public record (like, for instance, a DUI), nobody outside of the program would even have a clue if it happened at all. Still, I’m guessing he sits for the opener against YSU and is back on the field in week two. Just a guess, nothing more.
If Worthington is held out of games, the press will see an 11-game starter on the pine, while the rest of us know that he was actually part of a four-man platoon at defensive tackle. Against Michigan and LSU, the four turned in a total of 32 (Worthington), 28 (Abdallah), 28 (Larimore) and 27 (Denlinger) minutes. Hardly a dominate tandem in that group so far*.
Still, the play of the interior defensive line is the key to whether the 2008 Buckeye defense will truly be dominant. The other components are in place and any loss of playing time out of the tackles doesn’t help.
We should be thankful that nobody was hurt and all it usually takes is one DUI to learn a hard lesson, so hopefully Worthington can get through this and we’ll look back and see it for what it is: youthful indiscretion.
* Saying nothing of the fact that despite Worthington having the most upside of the DTs (HS Parade AA, plenty of PT as a sophomore), he’s still 6-7, 276. Not exactly prototypical DT size. Yet.
20 Responses
I do appreciate the fact Tressel keeps this type of stuff in house, but I think Worthington may get two games.
It will be interesting to see if one of these true freshmen step up and take his spot in the rotation. Or perhaps Solomon Thomas.
Corey - 07/29/08 @ 7:56 am - #
I can’t say anything, I had the infamous party plates on my car 6 months. It’s a dumb and expensive mistake that hopefully DW learns from. He needs to program the number 444-4444 into his cell phone, pronto.
emac - 07/29/08 @ 8:23 am - #
I am getting sick and tired of all this punishment crapola. Its like double jeopardy to me. The courts screw him and the team HAS to screw him! Am a UM fan, so don’t accuse me or homerism. These players get punished much worse than you or I–is that fair? If an academic scholarship kid gets a DUI does he get that kind of grief? I am more worried about whether or not these kids have a real alcohol problem–but there seems to be little focus on that junk.
Elno Lewis - 07/29/08 @ 9:29 am - #
It’s OSU in the summer, so all these guys are doing is working out and going to parties. If the Campus Partners hadn’t closed down every south campus bar maybe the kids could walk somewhere to drink. I know that is not the ultimate problem but I would be interested to see the percentage of DUI’s before and after the Gateway closed everything down and made the Cornerstone a Gap. The problem is this guy drove drunk, which is a bigger problem in our society as a whole. We will see what his punishment is when we see how far down he can plead. He may get reckless op, or something like that. He was pulled over for going 40 in a 25 so he wasn’t on the other side of the road, or weaving so he may be able to work it down.
JoseOle - 07/29/08 @ 9:51 am - #
The courts and the team are not “screwing” Doug Worthington. Doug Worthington has simply screwed himself and must be accountable to the consequences of his actions. Fair or unfair, that’s life.
BrotherBuck - 07/29/08 @ 10:40 am - #
Drunk driving is a serious deal, but I wouldn’t damn him to the bench or kick him out of school. I believe in the power of second chances (not fourth and fifth chance like Ryan Perriloux).
This is a great teaching moment that Tress should use and make Worthington address the team, particularly the underclassmen on the perils of drinking and driving.
Kyle - 07/29/08 @ 11:07 am - #
I believe I heard he is underage as well. I was also caught with an underage DUI, when I was 20. The law is waaaaay different when you are under 21. When I got caught anything over .02 for a minor was ‘drunk’. .02 is a swig of cough syrup. I blew an .045 (which even with the .08 legal limit, way under) had to do the weekend drunk school, pay like a gazillion dollars for the school and court costs, and learned my lesson. Not making excuses for the guy, but it is possible that he just had a drink or two and was over the .02 underage limit, but still under .08 adult limit. Still wrong, but I’ve been there, it sucks. But I don’t know the details of his case…
Scott - 07/29/08 @ 11:26 am - #
Elno- getting suspended a game or two isn’t worse than how you or I would get punished…many of us would lose our jobs for a DWI.
Boilerdowd - 07/29/08 @ 11:46 am - #
Just heard that he blew a .095, so there goes my defense of him. 095 is a good deal of alcohol, he has to be smarter than that to drive home at 3am in a Cadillac Escalade (as has been reported). I drove a ‘92 Geo Storm in college!
Scott - 07/29/08 @ 1:48 pm - #
Geo Storm is a pretty shitty car, though not as bad as the Suzuki Samurai.
Kyle - 07/29/08 @ 3:01 pm - #
Newsflash!!! College kids make mistakes. DWI is a huge mistake, but how many of us can say that we NEVER drove when we had just a bit too much to drink. No excuses, he made a huge mistake and Tressel needs to give him a life lesson. He will more than likely be able to plead the criminal charge down if this is his first offense since no one was injured (thank goodness) and he cooperated with the police. Tressel will find a way to use this as a way to teach and Doug will hopefully learn from this. Don’t condemn this kid for a mistake since he has been a model citizen to this point.
Mitch G. - 07/29/08 @ 3:12 pm - #
Any truth to the underage drinking stuff?
Spyder8 - 07/29/08 @ 3:16 pm - #
Drinking is a great way to add a few pounds to a scrawny defensive tackle. A few mudslides will put some junk in the trunk.
Loudon Peppermilk - 07/29/08 @ 3:24 pm - #
Isn’t amazing we can’t have at least one dominating DT?
I mean, one superstar that makes all the other look productive?
No? Ok.
I still keep waiting for Worthington to kill at Defensive End. Instead he gets stood up like the power forward he is, considering he’s 6′7″.
Poe McDone - 07/29/08 @ 5:37 pm - #
It’s sad that all I remember Doug for is getting tooled on in the Illinois game. Anyway, he made a dumb mistake, he deserves some form of punishment. I actually think the interior will be better without him. Here’s hoping he moves to where he belongs at DE if Wilson bolts for the NFL after the season.
poguemahoen - 07/29/08 @ 6:27 pm - #
The above is not an imposter, it is me. My keyboard just mounted an insurrection.
poguemahone - 07/29/08 @ 6:29 pm - #
No punishment necessary
joe paterno - 07/30/08 @ 9:22 am - #
After seeing the piece on PSU last night on Outside the Lines, I’m just thankful that we don’t have any players facing felony charges or sitting at Gitmo for some kind of terrorist activity.
Good lord things are bad in Happy Valley. JoePa has definitely lost any semblance of control of that program.
Kyle - 07/30/08 @ 10:09 am - #
First offense, goes into the treatment plan, whatever that is. Will probably miss the opener, which in the long run isn’t so bad since there will be no risk of injury.
TLB - 07/30/08 @ 11:13 am - #
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