OSU’s Adolphus Washington faces prostitution questions head on
MOBILE, Ala. — Some players come to the Senior Bowl seeking to answer scouts’ questions about size or speed. Others about whether they can, proverbially, take their game to the next level.
But some face far more serious — and, in some cases, embarrassing — questions from scouts. Ohio State DT Adolphus Washington arrived in town last weekend knowing that he had a red mark next to his name that had nothing to do with his school’s colors.
It was for his Dec. 9 arrest for solicitation of a prostitute, which led to Washington’s suspension for the Buckeyes’ Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame. He later pled guilty to the charges just prior to arriving for this week’s practices. And just as Washington closed the door on that plea quickly, he’s tried the same approach when he gets asked, time and time again by scouts and coaches from every team he’s talked to down here.
So how does Washington go about answering that same, awkward question time and time again with people he just met?
“[Pittsburgh Steelers head coach] Mike Tomlin asked me that: How do I go about answering the questions? He told me he thought I should attack it,” Washington told Shutdown Corner. “I did it, so I have to deal with the consequences. I have to explain to them my situation, what occurred.”
Is there any shame or embarrassment in reliving that experience over and over?
“I’m not embarrassed by it at all,” he said. “And I don’t regret doing it because I don’t regret anything I do. Everything you do is a learning experience, positive or negative. This happened to be a negative, and I have to deal with it.”
Have the questions from teams been fair and reasonable?
“Completely fair,” he said. “Nothing that shouldn’t be asked.”
The talk with continue at the Indianapolis scouting combine, and it will come up again, likely, in other team visits along the way until every team that meets with him feels satisfied it knows what happened and that it won’t again once he’s in the league. The plea deal likely means that the charges eventually will be dropped, even if the stigma might linger.
But for now, Washington’s mission, he said, is to deal with it head on, give every NFL team the same explanation and let his playing do the talking after that. So far, mission accomplished, it appears.
Washington said he’s most comfortable as a 3-technique, which he played predominantly this season after being on the nose in Ohio State’s title-winning 2014 season. Washington grades as a starting defensive tackle, and perhaps an instant contributor as a rookie. He has been at the interior pass-rush spot this week and shined. Washington appeared much quicker off the snap than the North Team offensive linemen, and he used his conversion to power well from the interior.
“The three is where I feel most comfortable,” he said. “I can bump out and play a five [over the offensive tackle]; I can play a one [shaded over a center]. I’ll play whatever, but the three is where I am home with my quickness and strength.”
Washington’s future is up in the air, and he knows it. He’s currently subletting an apartment right now, training for the combine and waiting to figure out what team he’ll be joining. Washington likely won’t have to wait long to hear his name once the draft does arrive, but until then he knows that reliving that December night will make the process longer.
“You hear it over and over, but I brought this on myself,” he said. “I don’t have [anyone] to blame but me.”
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm
