Every player who works out for NFL scouts at Ohio State's pro day today knows there's a lot at stake. But perhaps nobody will appreciate the opportunity more than Dominic Jones.
Jones is a Brookhaven graduate and former Minnesota defensive back. He was one of four players implicated in a 2007 case in Minnesota that resulted in Jones being convicted of fourth-degree sexual assault.
He served eight months in a workhouse and spent three years out of football before enrolling at Otterbein and playing last season for the Division III Cardinals.
Considering all that, the fact that his pro football dream remains alive overwhelms the 23-year-old.
"I still can't believe this is all happening," Jones said. "I do a lot of speaking (around Columbus), and I tell people all the time that the next breath, the next hour, the next week, football - all those things that we take for granted - they could be taken away tomorrow.
"Being locked up, going through all that adversity, it just gave me so much more passion for the game."
Jones had a stellar year for Otterbein, finishing as the team's second-leading tackler with 66 stops in 10 games. He also scored four touchdowns - one on a 91-yard interception return and three on kickoff returns (he averaged 31.1 yards per return).
He credits Otterbein defensive backs coach Ray Griffin - a brother of OSU legend Archie Griffin and a former Buckeyes and NFL player in his own right - for helping him develop as a player, and also for encouraging him to take a shot at the NFL.
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