By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland Plain Dealer) -

After Jaamal Berry was arrested on a marijuana possession charge in Miami two months ago, a charge that was originally a felony before it was dropped to a misdemeanor, he thought his Ohio State football career might be over before it started.

“I was worried at first,” Berry said. “But when I got the OK that I was good, everything was good to go.”

It wasn’t quite that simple. The charge was reduced and then last week at a Miami hearing, the charge was dropped all together, provided that Berry completes a six-month drug program that he can take online.

So it’s back to football, with one promise to fans of the Buckeyes.

“It’s definitely not going to happen again,” Berry said Wednesday. “I’m not here to make any problems. I’m here just to ball out on the football field and do good in school.”

When Ohio State’s camp starts Monday, Berry should be in the mix at tailback, behind veterans Dan Herron and Brandon Saine along with converted fullback Jermil Martin. At the moment, though, OSU fans know him best as the guy who got arrested.

“I don’t know their impression of me, but I hope it’s not bad,” Berry said. “I learned my lesson, hanging around with the wrong people, about making better decisions and just moving on from there. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you go along and move forward from there.”

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has declared that Berry’s arrest will not cause him to be held back in camp in any way. So as far as his football career goes, it is behind him, provided it’s an isolated case. Now he’s just a guy who was ranked as the No. 8 running back in his class by Scout.com and is coming off a left ankle injury that caused him to miss part of his senior season.

Playing at between 190 and 193 pounds before the injury, Berry said he reported to Ohio State at 173 pounds because he lost so much weight in his legs while he was sidelined. After several weeks of summer workouts, Berry said he’s back up to 188 pounds and his ankle is close to normal. Berry guessed it was around 95 percent healthy.

“I can feel my body getting stronger,” Berry said. “I definitely feel I can make an impact as a freshman this year.

Tressel always likes three tailbacks who can carry the ball, and behind Herron and Saine, Berry is the most likely candidate at this time. With one of the other running backs in this recruiting class, Carlos Hyde, failing to make the cut academically and headed to prep school, the Buckeyes needed Berry to get to campus and to the start of camp, one way or another.

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