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7/28/2008 5:17 PM
 
DT Doug Worthington  (United States)
OSU's Doug Worthington charged with DUI
Campus police pulled him over early Saturday by stadium
Monday,  July 28, 2008 1:53 PM
Updated: Monday, July 28, 2008 04:03 PM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Doug Worthington
OSU
Doug Worthington

Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington might have put his starting status in jeopardy after being arrested last weekend and charged with driving under the influence.

Worthington, 20, was pulled over by Ohio State police at 3:13 a.m. Saturday, records show, near the intersection of Woody Hayes Drive and Cannon Drive -- in front of Ohio Stadium.

He was driving 41 mph in a 25-mph zone.

He was released shortly afterward and faces a DUI charge for having a blood-alcohol content between 0.08 and 0.17.

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

Worthington has no known previous offenses. Under OSU athletic department policy, a first drug- or alcohol-related offense results in increased testing and mandatory counseling. A second offense carries a one-game suspension.

Coach Jim Tressel did not immediately return a message.

Any loss of playing time for Worthington would be significant. A fourth-year junior, he played in all 13 games last season, starting 12, and recorded 24 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.

By spring ball, he had added about 10 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame and hoped to play at 285 or 290 this fall. The Buckeyes are looking for more production out of their defensive tackles this season.

Worthington's arrest marks the second for the Buckeyes in 22 days. Reserve defensive back Eugene Clifford recently was granted his release after he was arrested July 4 and charged with two counts of misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching two employees of a Cincinnati sport bar. He is expected to transfer to Tennessee State..

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/07/28/doug_worthington.html?sid=101&rfr=nwsl

 
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7/29/2008 9:46 AM
 
Re: DT Doug Worthington  (United States)
Ohio State football
Worthington facing DUI charge
Tuesday,  July 29, 2008 3:16 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
OSU defensive tackle Doug Worthington played in all 13 games last season, starting 12, and had 24 tackles, a sack and an interception.
FRED SQUILLANTE | DISPATCH
OSU defensive tackle Doug Worthington played in all 13 games last season, starting 12, and had 24 tackles, a sack and an interception.
After staying relatively clear of legal trouble for the past three years, the Ohio State football team now has had two players arrested in a span of 22 days.

Starting defensive tackle Doug Worthington faces a drunken-driving charge after he was arrested early Saturday morning on campus. Worthington, 20, was pulled over by OSU police at 3:13 a.m. near the intersection of Woody Hayes Drive and Cannon Drive -- practically right in front of Ohio Stadium.

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.

Coach Jim Tressel did not return a message. The Buckeyes held an unrelated team meeting Sunday night, but it is not known whether Tressel and Worthington spoke about the arrest.

The incident follows closely on the heels of reserve defensive back Eugene Clifford being charged with misdemeanor assault after being involved in a July 4 fight at a Cincinnati sports bar.

Clifford recently was released from his OSU  scholarship and is expected to transfer to Tennessee State.

In May 2005, the Buckeyes had three players arrested or charged with crimes in a 10-day span. That prompted a summit of sorts, at which it was announced the athletic department was beefing up its drug and alcohol testing.

Between then and July 4, two OSU players were arrested.

Last week at the Big Ten preseason meetings, Tressel spoke of the need to keep talking to players about past transgressions.

"We talk all the time about reminders and history lessons, and we can't assume that these guys now know about an off-the-field problem a guy had five years ago," Tressel said. "So we have to bring up history lessons about tough lessons we've learned."

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

He has no known previous offenses. Under athletic department policy, a first drug- or alcohol-related offense results in increased testing and mandatory counseling. A second offense carries a two-game suspension.

Any loss of playing time for Worthington would be significant. A fourth-year junior, he played in all 13 games last season, starting 12, and had 24 tackles, a sack and an interception.

By spring ball, he had added about 10 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame and hoped to play at 285 or 290 this fall.

The Buckeyes are looking for more production out of their defensive tackles this season. Last year, the four players who shared most of the playing time at tackle combined for five sacks.


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http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/07/29/OSUfb_0729.ART_ART_07-29-08_C1_OUASC07.html?sid=101

 
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7/30/2008 10:22 AM
 
Re: DT Doug Worthington  (United States)
College football
Bob Hunter commentary: OSU arrests aren't alarming ... or are they?
Wednesday,  July 30, 2008 3:16 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
"Kids are kids and the percentages tell you (that) if there's 100 of them, along the way you're going to have some issues." — Jim Tressel
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Kids are kids and the percentages tell you (that) if there's 100 of them, along the way you're going to have some issues." — Jim Tressel



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I know how this works.

An Ohio State defensive back gets in a bar fight. Two weeks later, a defensive tackle is charged with drunken driving. Whispers roar. Computer keyboards clatter. Rumors fly.

Somewhere on the Internet, an

 
New Post
8/1/2008 10:13 AM
 
Re: DT Doug Worthington  (United States)
Ohio State football: Worthington enters plea of not guilty to DUI charge
Friday,  August 1, 2008 5:34 AM
FROM STAFF REPORTS



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Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington filed a not-guilty plea through his attorney yesterday for a drunken-driving arrest Saturday on campus.

Worthington, 20, did not stand before the judge, but was ordered to be fingerprinted and released after his case was called by Franklin County Municipal Judge Carrie Glaeden.

His defense attorney declined to comment after the hearing.

OSU defensive tackle Nader Abdallah said he has talked with Worthington several times since the arrest.

"He's trying to stay in good spirits," Abdallah said. "He's working out hard; he's trying to get his mind back to normal. I know he's depressed about the situation, but I told him, 'You can't think about that right now. The main thing you have to think about is getting back. Getting back 100 percent mentally is huge.'

"Right now, he's just fighting (the charge), and we'll see what happens with that."

According to OSU police, Worthington, a junior from Buffalo, N.Y., was pulled over in his 2004 Cadillac sport-utility vehicle for speeding at Woody Hayes and Cannon drives at 3:13 a.m. Police said he failed sobriety tests and was charged with drunken driving, a license-tag violation and speeding for traveling 41 mph in a 25 mph zone near Ohio Stadium.

Worthington's blood-alcohol content was 0.095 percent, according to a complaint filed in court. In Ohio, a driver younger than 21 can be charged with DUI at 0.02 percent.

A trial date has not been set.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/08/01/DUIDoug.ART_ART_08-01-08_C3_90ATKFO.html?sid=101

 
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8/6/2008 10:04 AM
 
Re: DT Doug Worthington  (United States)
OSU notebook: Past rulings offer Worthington hope
Wednesday,  August 6, 2008 3:21 AM
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



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Based on recent history, chances are good that Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington will avoid a fall-quarter suspension for drunken driving.

In the 2007-08 school year, fewer than one in three students brought before the school's judiciary panel for drunken driving were suspended, according to Ruth Gerstner, communications director for the Office of Student Affairs.

Of 17 students, five were suspended for the next quarter, 11 received some form of probation, and one case was dismissed, Gerstner said.

Worthington, 20, has pleaded not guilty after being arrested and charged July 26 near Ohio Stadium. He has an Aug. 25 pretrial date.

The school's disciplinary procedure is unrelated to the court case. Any student charged with DUI on campus faces a hearing in front of the judiciary panel.

Gerstner said the outcomes vary depending on factors such as whether it was a first offense and whether lives were endangered.

It is believed to be Worthington's first offense. He was pulled over for going 41 mph in a 25-mph zone and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.095.

In April 2006, offensive tackle Alex Boone pleaded guilty to DUI, but was not suspended for fall quarter despite more damaging circumstances. Boone was involved in a two-car accident and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.159.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/08/06/osufb_notes06.ART_ART_08-06-08_C2_U2AUT2F.html?sid=101

 
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