OHIO STATE

Life after football: Buckeyes step outside comfort zone

Jon Spencer

Reporter

Former Ohio State football players Nick Patterson (left) and Tyler Everett give a talk through sign langue interpreter, Tanya Haga, to deaf children about overcoming challenges. The athletes represented the Driven Foundation at Catalyst Life Services during Thursday's community outreach program.

MANSFIELD – It's one Columbus nail salon that won't need to hire security.

It's hard to picture former Ohio State defensive linemen Doug Worthington and Thaddeus Gibson embarking on such a business venture, but transitioning from the athletic arena takes former Buckeyes in different (unexpected?) directions.

Progressive Industry staffers Kaitlin Waggoner, Stephanie Jakubick, Heather Shasky and Mitch Jacobson have their picture taken with former Ohio State Buckeyes Doug Worthington, Nate Oliver, Thomas Matthews and Thaddeus Gibson at Thursday's Catalyst Life Services Outreach Day.

That was part of the discussion during Thursday's workforce development seminar, part of a community outreach day put on by Catalyst Life Services with support from the Columbus-based Driven Foundation.

"It's a good business decision, but holy smokes! You know how intimidating that would be, with Doug Worthington (6-foot-5 and 300 pounds plus) at the door?" teased Roy Hall, a former OSU receiver and co-founder of Driven, an outreach program geared toward at-risk youth and families.

Worthington and other Buckeyes represented Driven at Thursday's day-long event, capped by a Kid's Carnival at The Rehab Center. Salon clients have nothing to fear. His heart is as big as his biceps.

"Playing a team sport, you've got to be able to come together as a unit," Worthington said. "You need that camaraderie, that brotherhood. Some of the kids we get to touch miss those things; they miss that coach or figure in their life to give them that discipline and show them what hard work looks like.

"We can shed light on that to try and help them fill that void."

Hall implored seminar attendees, including Richland County Common Pleas Judge Brent Robinson and State Rep. Mark Romanchuk, R-Ontario, to "step outside your comfort zone" and mentor young people.

"Never allow people to label you, because when people label you they limit you," Hall said. "Once people identify you as something, you lose your purpose, you lose your flexibility and you won't get out of your comfort zone. If someone tells you you're (something) and you buy into it, you're not going to think you're the person who's supposed to go into the middle schools or high schools and tell kids 'We're here for you.'"

All of the Buckeyes on the panel talked about adversities they've faced. For defensive back Nate Oliver, it was life after football. Now in insurance, he's been a personal trainer, assistant manager at Walmart and high school coach.

"As an Ohio State football player, you're Superman," Oliver said. "As soon as you graduate, it's like that super power has been stripped from you. Roy told me even though my career is over, you can still make an impact. Being in insurance gives me freedom to do events like Driven, and to give back."

Former cornerback Antonio Smith was raised by his grandmother. He went from walk-on to All-Big Ten for the Buckeyes, earned a mechanical engineering degree and played in the NFL. He co-founded Driven with Hall.

"The neighbor man said 'Boy, you ain't going to be nuthin','" Smith said. "I was 9 years old. I internalized those words and decided I was going to be the exact opposite and do everything in my power to be somebody.

"Those words by my neighbor crushed me and took me to the lowest point ever. How can you be lower than nothing? What it did was allow me to not fear failure.

"I heard a message where (the speaker) said 'Is it Day 1 or one day?' I love mornings because you get the opportunity to wake up, get your energy going and know you can seize the day."