DDN
Hawk says stolen cash built by saving
Father called Tressel to assure him son's finances were legal
By
Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
COLUMBUS | — Ohio State senior A.J. Hawk had been warned repeatedly by his family not to keep cash in a safe in his bedroom.
<!--endtext--> But his failure to heed their advice cost the All-American linebacker about $3,000.
<!-- inset --> <!--begintext--> Hawk lost the money when an off-campus house he is renting with teammate Nick Mangold and another roommate was burglarized during Thanksgiving break.
About $6,000 in computers and other valuables belonging to the trio also were stolen.
"He had a Sentry safe, and we'd say, 'Dude, somebody could walk off with that,' '' said Keith Hawk, the player's father. "But his papa (great-grandfather) always saved his money in a safe, and A.J. did the same thing."
The elder Hawk said his son is notoriously frugal and has been saving his money since collecting $1,500 in high-school graduation gifts.
Keith Hawk, a vice president at Lexis-Nexis, said he also supplies his son with regular spending money.
"I made the same agreement with Ryan," he said, referring to an older son who played football at Miami and Ohio University. "I told them if they earned a full scholarship — that's tuition, room and board — I would pay for their food as long as they were college students."
Keith Hawk allowed them to use his credit card and figures A.J. has been racking up about $500 per month in meals and groceries.
Of course, that's far cheaper than paying the full price for college. The typical bill for an in-state student at OSU is about $16,600 this year.
"I'm the one getting the deal," Keith Hawk said.
OSU players living off campus receive a $900 monthly stipend for room and board, and A.J. Hawk pays just $450 in rent and utilities and pockets the rest, according to his father.
"He'd put all he could away," Keith Hawk said. "And you can accumulate a lot of cash in three years. That's how he had all that money."
The elder Hawk phoned OSU coach Jim Tressel on Wednesday to assure him that his star
player's financial dealings have been above board. Tressel responded by saying the call wasn't necessary.
"He told me, 'If there's one guy I don't worry about, it's
A.J.,' '' Keith Hawk said.
A.J. Hawk expects outsiders to be suspicious about how he obtained the money, but he said he built the stash through savings.
"Obviously, people are going to jump on anything they can," he said. "It was no big deal. Sure, I had stuff stolen, but it happens to a lot of people.
"I've been pretty tight my whole life — you can ask anyone — and that's why I had all that money in my room. People may blow it out of proportion. But the way I look at it is, I've lost a lot of money, but it's only cash."
Contact Doug Harris at 225-2125.
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