Donald Washington, a 13-game starter for the Buckeyes last season has been suspended along with fellow defensive back Jamario O'Neal.
Washington can add a two-game suspension to his resume which already includes 22 starts, 80 tackles and one interception on his career. He was very up-front about his suspension to the media on Thursday afternoon.
"Now I've put a little chip on my shoulder and I've just got to move on, take my situation and turn it into a positive and use it as motivation," he said. "I can't play the first two games, that's the reality of it. Those are facts."
There had been suspicions throughout the spring that some form of punishment was pending for the pair of defensive backs. Washington and O'Neal initially broke an unspecified team rule along with former OSU defensive back Eugene Clifford. Jamario O'Neal has primarily been a reserve safety during his time at Ohio State.
Sophomore corner Chimdi Chekwa will likely fill in for Washington during the first two games of the season against Youngstown State and Ohio University.
Coach Tressel has treaded lightly around the issue that lead to the suspension of his players but feels they are working their way out of his dog house.
"Donald is a great kid, and I have the utmost confidence he is going to be a great player for us this year," Tressel said. "Now, all of us need to go day by day. But I have a lot of confidence he'll be ready to roll."
In the mean time Washington's absence will allow Chekwa to gain more experience. Last season he showed promise working primarily as a nickel-back and recorded 30 tackles and one interception.
Bob Strickley can be reached at strickley.3@osu.edu.
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