Irizarry thankful for second chance

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Louis Irizarry officially enrolled as a college student in September. It isn't too much of an understatement to say he's already received quite an education.
His degree is from the school of life's harsh realities.
Caught in a situation in late October in which he was charged with three counts of assault, Irizarry was suspended from the Ohio State football program.
The Ursuline High graduate has spent the interim repairing his fractured reputation by attending counseling, taking care of his academics and making sure the line he followed was the straight and narrow.
His hard work paid off before the team was released for the holidays; on Dec. 18 coach Jim Tressel told him he would be reinstated for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Friday night he'll be in uniform and on the sidelines, awaiting a call, any call, whether it be on special teams or at tight end.
Emotional message
"I teared up," Irizarry said when asked to describe his reaction. "I went to the car and teared up a little -- I didn't let [Tressel] see that, but it was a pretty big surprise because I pretty much [thought] this year was over.
"I was just working my butt off on the scout team. But he's being merciful to me, the Lord's got stuff in store for me, so it's time for me to take advantage of my opportunities now."
Irizarry was involved in a campus altercation in his dormitory room, in which he was charged with assaulting a woman described in police reports as his girlfriend and two acquaintances.
He still remains charged with one count of first degree assault, but one of the other charges was reduced to third-degree assault and another to disorderly conduct.
He'll learn his sentence Jan. 9.
"That stuff is pretty much done now," he said. "I'd like to forget about it and just move on, get into football and get my academics all together, because that's the main thing. I just want to keep working hard and keep focused."
Irizarry's eyes were as bright as his shiny white jersey, with "81" stitched on it.
Lessons learned
What has the incident and its fallout taught him?
"Too many lessons, not enough time to say," he said, laughing.
"The biggest thing is, I want to take advantage of my opportunity and if something happens this game then I'm going to be ready to be in there.
"That's what I'm hoping for, but if it doesn't I understand why, and if I do, I'm just going to go crazy."
After the incident, Irizarry was ordered by Tressel and athletic director Andy Geiger to undergo counseling. He did that and more, which evidently was impressive enough to spur Tressel to give him this opportunity.
"I've been going to counseling, everything they told me to do I've done, even some extra things," said Irizarry.
"The biggest thing is the process was moving along, it's pretty much over. All I'm waiting for now is the judge to throw the hammer down," he added. "Basically, all my consequences are already known. I'm already putting everything back together and they see that so they felt it was time to give me a little taste again."
Tressel said he's confident that Irizarry will make the most of his second chance.
"Louis made an error and sometimes you have to handle the consequences of that and he has, and now he has an opportunity to be back in the flow a little bit.
"With Ben Hartsock playing the bulk of our tight end and Ryan Hamby playing a lot, it's not like Louis will be in there, playing 40 plays, but he may have an opportunity to contribute, which I know he's anxious to do."
For Irizarry, it presents an opportunity to do one thing, perhaps more important to him than playing even, that will mean a lot.
"The chance to run out on the field with the guys again, dress up, get the jersey on and the pads, that's all that counts for me right now," he said.
XRob Todor is sports editor of The Vindicator. Write to him at todor@vindy.com.