Buckeyes’ DT ‘blessed’ to be back

By TIM MAY

COLUMBUS — A year ago, Doug Worthington thought he had blown it big time.

The Ohio State defensive tackle was just days away from the start of preseason camp going into his junior year. Big things were expected from the big man.

But in the early morning hours of a July Saturday, he was pulled over for speeding on campus, then found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. He registered a .095 on a Breathalyzer test; the legal limit in Ohio is .08.

He knew there was going to be fallout on the publicity side, and he knew coach Jim Tressel was not going to be happy.

“It was probably the hardest time in my life, a time when I needed a lot of people’s help, and a lot of people stepped up and became good friends and teammates,” Worthington said.

“But, yeah, last year at this time was super-difficult for me. Being in the position I am in at the moment is just a blessing.”

With camp set to open Sunday, there’s a good chance Worthington could be named a team captain before the season starts Sept.5 against Navy. Tressel apparently considers him to be a leader, since he took him along with safety Kurt Coleman and tight end Jake Ballard to the Big Ten media days in Chicago last week.

“I thought about that, and I think it shows a lot about what I did last season and in the offseason, trying to make people aware and trying to give back to the community, trying to help my name as much as I can,” Worthington said.

Tressel was watching. As it turned out, Tressel didn’t punish him too harshly in terms of playing time, though he wasn’t allowed to start when the 2008 season began. Worthington had a history of being a decent person and hard-working player.

“He’s got a deep, deep conscience,” Tressel said. “When he looks in the mirror, he’s really looking into the mirror for what he sees. Some people look in the mirror to admire.”

This time a year ago, that mirror was not kind to Worthington.

“I had my head down a long time,” he said. “I lost a lot of weight. I couldn’t eat for about a week and a half. It was really hard for me emotionally and everything.”

Worthington’s teammates could see his introspection.

“He knows that he made a mistake — that he slipped up and it was a stupid decision, and he apologized to the team,” Coleman said. “I think you can learn a lot more from a mistake — and I think it has humbled him as a man and as a player.”

Worthington said part of his mission now is to counsel other teammates when they slip up, and also to try to prevent it from happening.

“The first meeting we had with the freshmen this summer, I let them know they are in this family, that, hey, I made a mistake, don’t do what I did, and this is what happened,” Worthington said.