DT Doug Worthington (Official Thread)

[SNIPER26]

First of all, who's said he's gone unpunished?

Tressel said, "...he did have an issue, and we resolved it..."

Just because we don't know what that 'resolution' was/is doesn't mean Worthington is getting off scott free.

I trust the integrity and judgement of the man, Jim Tressel.

So running a couple extra suicides is adequate punishment? There tends to be no bigger punishment for an athlete than missing games. I could see that type of punishment (suicides, conditioning whatever) for getting in a fight or something. DUIs are just retarded. I'd love to hear what this punishment is. Since Rodriguez is perceived to be such a douchebag and suspended Grady for at least one game, a man who is held in higher esteem by the general public should have something more than that, no? Grady hadn't been in trouble before, AFAIK.

 

[Padraig]

So running a couple extra suicides is adequate punishment?

I'd love to hear what this punishment is.

So you admit that you don't know what the punishment is? Me neither, but my own perception of Coach Tressel's "body of work" leads me to trust him when he says, "we resolved it."

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

I'm probably going to take some shit for this, but if Rich Rodriguez would have let Kevin Grady play against Utah you guys would have continued on and on about the decline of Michigan morals. I think DUIs are one of the dumbest things you can do out there. How is it okay for a player, any player at any team, do go unpunished for a DUI? I realize he's "kept his nose clean" and what not, but if you get a DUI, you deserve even bigger of a punishment than one game.

The (possibly, maybe a bit homerish :p) perspective of this, much like the non-suspension of Alex Boone following his DUI several years ago, is that Coach Tressel is more concerned with making sure that the offending young man has recognized the mistake he made and has learned from it. Some players may need to sit for a couple of games to understand while others may just need a very stern lecture. On a case-by-case basis, the punishment may not align with what is generally considered to be the "right" amount of punishment, but Coach Tressel is more concerned with making sure that the young man won't make a similar mistake again than he is with punishing a player because the media says he should.

Alex Boone hasn't been in any trouble since his incident, FWIW.

A dissimilar stance would be taken for a UM player because folks here don't think as highly of Coach Rodriguez as they do of Coach Tressel. (Do you suppose I can win an "Understatement of the Year" award for that? )

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

So when a player shows up in a flashy car no one's supposed to raise an eyebrow or question it out of fear of "stereotyping." ...

The vast majority of us here raised both eyebrows when this information came out. But we found out the real story a l-o-n-g time ago.

I'm probably going to take some [censored] for this, but if Rich Rodriguez would have let Kevin Grady play against Utah you guys would have continued on and on about the decline of Michigan morals. I think DUIs are one of the dumbest things you can do out there. How is it okay for a player, any player at any team, do go unpunished for a DUI? I realize he's "kept his nose clean" and what not, but if you get a DUI, you deserve even bigger of a punishment than one game.

You are far from the only person with this point of view. Many here have expressed it in one way or another. Bruce Hooley is also acting like there's no difference between driving with a b.a.c. of 0.09 and driving with a b.a.c. of .28.

I was taken wildly out of context and raked over the coals the last time I tried to make this point; but this is getting entirely out of hand so I'll try again. When I was in my 20s, I was almost always the designated driver. As the designated driver, I always stayed 100% stone-cold sober. I have never driven with an illegal b.a.c. in my life. Not even close.

To suggest that I don't take drunk driving seriously is to simply say that you don't know me and that I should ignore everything else you say.

But to suggest that a b.a.c. that impairs someone no more than a cell-phone conversation (or any other conversation for that matter) is the same as a b.a.c. that renders the alphabet an impossible conundrum is just not reasonable. The people that are blathering on about Worthington "endangering lives" need to get a grip on reality. The amount of danger that he put other people in (the untold millions that are on Woody Hayes Drive at 3 in the morning) is far less than the danger posed by a driver on a cell phone in rush hour traffic.

"But that's illegal too (in some places)", is what some people prattle on about...

OK, nice little straw man you've made there. Now be quiet; the adults are having a conversation.

Simply getting in a car presents a risk not only to you but to those around you. Everything you do that distracts you from driving increases that risk. To say that a bac of 0.09 impairs someone to the point of a "real and present" danger is something that our own government does not agree with. They have far harsher punishments for higher levels of intoxication; and for good reason.

Of course, the next ten posts will put words in my mouth (again). I am not saying that I think the laws should be changed, as was suggested last time. I agree that people who drive drunk should have their licenses yanked, regardless of their bac.

But I do not think that using the "endangering other peoples' lives" stupidity should go unchallenged. It is a very long way from reasonable.

Many of you are coming across as if your only intention is to prove what a morally upstanding citizen you are. Congratulations, I believe you. I'm not being sarcastic. I really do. Moving on to the topic at hand though; In the process of proving your moral rectitude, you've done an awful lot of speculating. As long as we're speculating, what we're probably dealing with here is a guy who waited until 3 o'clock in the morning to drive home, thinking he'd waited long enough to sober up. If he'd waited just 15 more minutes we wouldn't be having this conversation. Fifteen [censored]ing minutes. He's being treated like he drove 90 mph across a playground (by some of you) because he missed the "I think I'm OK to drive" window by fifteen [censored]ing minutes.

I am NOT arguing for a free pass here. Far from it. And Sniper, the overwhelming majority of this is not directed at you (as you've probably guessed by now).

I'm just begging some of you to get a little perspective. Give it a shot. It won't bite.

 

[generaladm]

Sniper, I'm not going to make a case that Worthington shouldn't have been suspended, but there is one major difference in DW's and Grady's circumstances. Doug blew just over the legal limit (for those over 21, which he is not), and was pulled over for speeding. Grady's BAC was literally a couple stiff drinks from risking death by alcohol poisoning. I had a roomate who blew the same level as Grady, hours after he got busted, he was still unable to walk or speak coherently. Grady, almost certainly, posed a much greater danger to the other poeple on the road. Also, as a point of reference, in 2001, Tressel suspended Steve Bellisari for two games (including THE GAME) after a DUI. It's a good idea for new coaches to show a tough stance on discipline, or else they will carry a reputation of turning a blind eye throughout their career. Also, the head coach does not necessarily have the final word in such situations, the AD, University officers, and even alumni can affect such decisions. Overall, I'd say Tressel has a good track record when dealing with discipline problems. Rodriguez is probably feeling some pressure at UM, based on the reputations of Pac Man and C. Henry.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I'm probably going to take some shit for this, but if Rich Rodriguez would have let Kevin Grady play against Utah you guys would have continued on and on about the decline of Michigan morals. I think DUIs are one of the dumbest things you can do out there. How is it okay for a player, any player at any team, do go unpunished for a DUI? I realize he's "kept his nose clean" and what not, but if you get a DUI, you deserve even bigger of a punishment than one game.

You are 100% right. Gander... meet the goose. He should sit for at least one game.

I'm sure that the issue is "resolved" per what JT has said. I / we may never know what the punishment is / was beyond not getting the starting nod against YSU, but I do believe that this is one that needs a minimum punishment of one game. Depending on a .09 or a .28, it may be extended. However, one game lost as a reminder is fair to the player as well as motivation for any others should they find themselves in a similar situation.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

You are 100% right. Gander... meet the goose. He should sit for at least one game.

Interesting metaphor

The full version: What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

The goose and the gander had very different amounts of sauce.

One was 15 minutes from being under the legal limit, and since he was a month away from his 21st birthday they probably would have let him slide.

The other couldn't figure out the alphabet and was too shit-faced to even answer to the charges on the night in question.

Same sauce... OK

But one was lightly seasoned and the other was pickled.

There's a difference. The legislature thought so when they created the laws anyway.

 

[Bleed S & G]

IMO, he should sit. Not to mention it's YSU...

I don't think he endangered anyone else on the road - however, he had to have done something to get pulled over in the first place.

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

I agree that he should be suspended.

What he did, at the time he did it, doesn't begin to approach what Bellisari did. If we're going by that precedent, a one game suspension is in order.

If he ends up sitting just most of a game rather than a full one, and only gets to play in garbage time...

Well, Tressel has earned the benefit of a doubt as I'm concerned. Not that I am any of his concern...

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Interesting metaphor

The full version: What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

The goose and the gander had very different amounts of sauce.

One was 15 minutes from being under the legal limit, and since he was a month away from his 21st birthday they probably would have let him slide.

The other couldn't figure out the alphabet and was too shit-faced to even answer to the charges on the night in question.

Same sauce... OK

But one was lightly seasoned and the other was pickled.

There's a difference. The legislature thought so when they created the laws anyway.

I see, understand and completely respect your point. Of any case of off-field crap that JT has had to deal with, this one really sucks. It's at the other end of the continuum when compared to the "pickled player from up north."

It does suck for everyone involved. I'm thankful that both young men here got off without hurting anyone.

I just hope that this is the last thread like this we have for a long time. The program, relative to others and the JC years, is in great shape. We'll have these situations from time to time. In my opinioin, putting a line in the sand with a 1-game minimum for these things would continue to keep the program heading in the right direction.

That said, trusting coaches and I'm done.

Is it game time yet?

 

[sparcboxbuck]

That said, trusting coaches and I'm done.

Is it game time yet?

I guess I'm not done.

... And now back to Mr. Worthington.

... And again, is it game time yet?

 

[Buckskin86]

Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington will likely be in the rotation Saturday against Ohio University.

Coach Jim Tressel wouldn't offer specifics when asked about Worthington but made it sound as if his benching at the start of the Youngstown State game was for that game only. Worthington was punished for a drunken-driving charge that stemmed from an arrest July 26.

Tressel said Worthington got in for 12 snaps. It doesn't sound like much, but Youngstown State had the ball for only 39 snaps, so that's nearly one-third of the plays. Worthington didn't play in the first half and seemed to have gotten most of his snaps in the fourth quarter.

The Columbus Dispatch : Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Buckeye humbled by arrest
Worthington also more focused after drunken-driving charge
Thursday, September 18, 2008 3:28 AM
By Ken Gordon


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
For the first week after his arrest, Doug Worthington felt like he was walking around with words stamped on his forehead, hateful words such as "drunk" and "loser." The Ohio State defensive tackle was pulled over July 26 on campus and charged with drunken driving.
Suddenly, a college student who had done nothing wrong before that incident -- gone to class, worked his way into a starting spot on the football team, made his family in Buffalo, N.Y., proud -- found himself a public target of derision.
Like most people, Worthington cares what others think of him. The words stuck, and stung.
"When you get into trouble, sometimes the fans might not know who you are," he said. "Some media might put it (like), 'This guy is in trouble, he's a partier or crazy.'
"Being labeled is hard. It's hard to get that label off and go back and just show them that you're not that type of guy."
Doug's father, Doug Sr., came from New York to attend the first court hearing. Worthington pleaded not guilty and has a pre-trial hearing Oct. 1.
But the biggest source of support came from his football family. When he reported for the start of preseason camp Aug. 3, he worried about the reaction of his teammates and coaches.
Cont...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Scout.com$ (Adam Jardy)

Worthington Trying To Move Forward.................Worthington felt as if he let the team down with his incident in the off season. Doug has moved past the incident and learned a great deal.

 

[smithlabs]

I could be worse. He could have been like Casillas from Wisonson and been arrested for DUI on a while riding a moped with a fat girl. Ok, I made the fat part up but fat girls are actually a lot like mopeds...