DT Doug Worthington (Official Thread)

[Jake]

Side note on the vehicele. He got a full ride, so his parents can get him whatever he wants (within limits). This purchase would not be completley out of line. My cousin was given a BMW for her high school graduation and her parents paid for her college too. These kids work hard in high school and it this case it appears Mom and Dad thought he deserved it. Who am I to argue?

{really old guy's voice}In my day, I was lucky I even got a ride to school. I never had my own car until I bought one after I graduated from OSU. Even then I had to finance the whole thing.{really old guy's voice}

 

[Sportsbuck28]

{really old guy's voice}In my day, I was lucky I even got a ride to school. I never had my own car until I bought one after I graduated from OSU. Even then I had to finance the whole thing.{really old guy's voice}

And then you had to walk 15 miles to the dealership... uphill both ways.

 

[methomps]

At least it wasn't an Impala. Now that would be scandalous!

I am grateful for all the DUIs I escaped.

 

[OCBucksFan]

Uh, can someone tell me how he could have a blood-alcohol content "between 0.08 and 0.17"?

Well, having gone through an unfortunate DUI myself, they give you a breathalizer test when you are popped, and a second test, usually blood when you get to the station. So odds are he breathed a .08 upon arrest, and his blood provided a .17 when he was taken downtown. I breathed a .18 when I got nailed, and when they got me to the station and took blood, it was a .26, unfortunately, they chose to prosecute me on the .26 and take my license away for 6 months, as well as a year worth of programs, meetings and other crap that really sucked.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Well, having gone through an unfortunate DUI myself, they give you a breathalizer test when you are popped, and a second test, usually blood when you get to the station. So odds are he breathed a .08 upon arrest, and his blood provided a .17 when he was taken downtown. I breathed a .18 when I got nailed, and when they got me to the station and took blood, it was a .26, unfortunately, they chose to prosecute me on the .26 and take my license away for 6 months, as well as a year worth of programs, meetings and other crap that really sucked.

It would seem to me that such a disparity between readings would be grounds for rendering one or both readings unreliable, and thus getting him off the charge.

 

[generaladm]

Here's the Ohio government's DUI law webpage:

Ohio's D.U.I. Laws

I still believe that there are more severe penalties, depending on BAC. A roommate from college blew around a 0.23 and he said it was much more serious than if it had been closer to the limit. Perhaps over a certain level, they treat it like a second offense. He ended up only serving the penalties for a first offense, but the fact that his girlfriend's father was an attorney who specialized in DUIs certainly had something to do with that. Cost him a boatload of money.

 

[methomps]

Uh, can someone tell me how he could have a blood-alcohol content "between 0.08 and 0.17"?

I would leave open for the possibility that BACs higher than .17 call for stiffer penalties, and thus "between .08 and .17" indicates that he blew at the first level of ruh-roh.

 

[Buckskin86]

History lessons

I just sent in the day's final version of the Doug Worthington story. For those out of touch today, the OSU defensive tackle was arrested and charged with DUI.

What struck me almost immediately was remembering something coach Jim Tressel said last week at the Big Ten meetings, about the necessity to keep reminding the guys about the past -- good things and bad alike -- because the guys on the team now may not know what happened five years ago.

I included Tressel's thoughts in my story, I thought they were appropriate. I recall sitting in the OSU team meeting room in May 2005, on the heels of three players being charged with crimes within 10 days.

Gene Smith had just taken over, and there was a feeling of crisis in the air. The university chose that time to announce a beefing up of drug and alcohol testing, doubling the resources to the testing program.

It seemed to pay off. Over the next three years, OSU had two arrests -- Alex Boone's DUI in 2006 and Antonio Henton's solicitation charge (later reduced to loitering) in 2007.

I don't have figures in front of me, but anecdotally, that seems to be a pretty good rate when you compare it to other major college football programs, and probably even to the student body at large -- two incidents among roughly 100 college kids in three years?

But now, the Worthington arrest is the second arrest in three weeks -- Eugene Clifford's assault charges in a bar brawl on July 4. He's no longer on the team.

If this is Worthington's first offense, he likely will have to run some laps in practice and maybe see reduced playing time against Youngstown State....heck, Tressel could sit him completely against YSU and it likely won't matter.

But we never hear about a player's first offense, since there is no suspension for that. We only find out later, when a player suddenly is suspended, that it must be his second offense.

If so, Worthington would have to sit out the YSU and Ohio U. games. That would mean he comes back cold for the Southern Cal game -- not ideal.

History lessons (Blogging the Buckeyes)

 

[jimotis4heisman]

Didn't Boone have a similar incident as a freshman?

yes, at the time of boones 9/10 kids who had gotten duis or been arrested for drug charges and had gone in front of the judiciary review committee had been suspended from school for a quarter or more...

 

[jimotis4heisman]

I would leave open for the possibility that BACs higher than .17 call for stiffer penalties, and thus "between .08 and .17" indicates that he blew at the first level of ruh-roh.

typically if you are greater than double the limit you get some sort of greater charge which is like two duis. i have no experience, i do remember learning about hat in the frankie coleman case that was all over the papers. (the mayors wife). granted she was so plowed she continually rammed a parked car and claimed someone hit her as the cops watched her hit parked cars over and over.

 

[jwinslow]

granted she was so plowed she continually rammed a parked car and claimed someone hit her as the cops watched her hit parked cars over and over.

I REALLY hope they showed that footage on the news.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

{DBB's voice}In my day, I never got a ride to school. I walked every where I went when I was at Ohio State. I walked to work and put in 40 hours a week, and I walked to class where I took a full load, and I walked back to my 180 sq. ft. apartment. And so did most of the people I knew. And I bet most college students still do the same. It's called life. I never had my own car until I bought one after I graduated from OSU. Even then I had to finance the whole thing.{DBB's voice}

FIFY

 

[BB73]

Didn't Boone have a similar incident as a freshman?

From the BN article:

bucknuts

It should be noted that OSU offensive tackle Alex Boone, now a senior, was cited for DUI near campus in April 2006. Boone was just 18 years old at the time and was also considered a first-time offender, according to athletic department policy. Boone ended up pleading no contest to the DUI charge and was found guilty. He was fined $300 and sentenced to 10 days in jail. The jail time was suspended after Boone completed a substance abuse counseling program.

At the time, there was speculation that Boone -- because his offense occurred near campus and could have endangered students or OSU staff members -- could also have faced a suspension from school for the following Autumn Quarter through OSU?s Office of Student Affairs. However, Boone reportedly missed some school time over the summer and was full-go for the 2006 season. That year, he started the first nine games at left tackle before missing two late-season games.

 

[BB73]

It would seem to me that such a disparity between readings would be grounds for rendering one or both readings unreliable, and thus getting him off the charge.

It is a range that was delineated by the type of charge, rather than 2 separate readings.

dispatch

...
He was going 41 mph in a 25 mph zone, police reports show. His exact blood-alcohol level wasn't listed, but by definition of the charge, it must have been between 0.08 and 0.17.

...

Worthington's charge is a first-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Cont'd ...

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I did not mean to imply that the car was or was not something improper. As many people have pointed out, it raises eyebrows... eyebrows that just love to bash OSU. That's what I was implying.

I agree, my eyebrow was raised when I first read this as well. Not having any information about family means, I can hardly say one way or another about the situation. However, it is a situation that since he is one of our guys, I'm giving the benefit of the doubt. That benefit is not something that I think the haters are willing to give.

Wouldn't a simple Saturn be more sensible? Then he could eat at a classy place, like Skyline Chili.

Ever seen a guy his size try to get in or out of a Saturn? Heck, I'm 66% of the man and I have a hard time getting in and out of my mom's Sebring.

... and on the Skyline note... if he would do as much damage to a 5-way large as I can, there's no WAY on God's green earth that he could get in or out of a Saturn!