INDIANAPOLIS — Adolphus Washington met the media for barely 10 minutes Friday at the NFL Combine, but spent the majority of the period explaining his actions and apologizing for the incident that ended his Ohio State football career a game early.
"First off, I just want to apologize to Buckeye Nation, to my teammates, to my family," Washington said. "I made a really dumb, impulsive decision and had to pay the penalty for it. But as of Monday, the case was dismissed so that’s what it is."
Police arrested Washington Dec. 16 on a charge of solicitation. He was charged with a misdemeanor, but had it dismissed after a stint in a diversion program.
"I think about it on a daily basis," Washington said. "Like I said, it was a really dumb, impulsive decision. To not end my college career the way I wanted to, that took a big toll on me. But I had to eventually move on and start training for the next level."
Washington missed Ohio State's 44-28 victory against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl, which would have been the final game of his college career. The senior confirmed Friday the reason for his suspension was because he legally possessed a firearm at the time of the incident, which violated one of Urban Meyer's core team values.
"Coach Meyer made his decision and I had to live with that," Washington said.
"Also, after that happened, once I found out I wasn’t playing, I hired an agent and he was doing damage control," he continued. "But that was the first thing that went through my mind."
Washington said he isn't afraid to address the incident with pro teams and is out to convince them it was just a one-time affair.
"Just to be up front and honest," Washington said. "Up to this point, I’d never gotten in trouble, never failed a drug test, never did drugs, never did anything. It was just an impulsive decision and I had to pay the price for it."
