Much of the world is treating beleaguered former Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel as an outcast, but there are players (probably a majority) who sympathize with him.

They believe he was a good soldier and took a bullet for not reporting players who broke NCAA rules and received improper benefits.

Former Manatee High great Tyrone Williams, who knows all about success on the big-time college level, said Tressel did what most coaches would do.

Williams started on two national title teams at Nebraska and for the Green Bay Packers’ 1996 Super Bowl champions.

“Most coaches are going to be very loyal to their players,” Williams said. “They went to a kid’s house when they were recruiting him and talked to his parents, and they are not going to turn their back on them. They are going to try and kill the situation as much as possible and protect the kid.

“It would be very hard for a coach to be selfish and say, ‘I am going to turn these guys in.’ Most are going to sit there and ride it out.”

There is a sentiment out there in the “underground economy” of college football that turning in players for rules violations also will hurt recruiting, and that is something no coach wants.

The lesson for Ohio State: Don’t sell memorabilia to a person under investigation for drugs, deal in cash and be careful where you park those car loaners.

Wilson cutting worklaod

One of finest offensive linemen to come out of the area, Julius Wilson won’t play in the United Football League, which opens training camp this week.

Now 27, the Southeast High product is limiting himself to only the Arena Football League after playing in the AFL and UFL last season.

He has been with the Orlando Predators, who could qualify for the AFL playoffs following a long, 18-game regular season, which ends July 23.

Last year, Wilson also played with the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks.

“I am not going to Omaha. It’s too much football. They also have a new coaching staff, and I am tired of having to prove myself every year,” Wilson said.

Whenever he hangs ’em up for good, the guy they used to call “Tubby” in high school can say he lived a good part of his dream. He played in preseason games with the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was with both for a full season each as a practice squad player.

Though he never played in a regular season game, the now 6-foot-5, 310-pounder made some good friends and can even say he blocked for Maurice Clarett in the UFL.

“Maurice is a real down-to-earth person. He has changed since he got into that trouble at Ohio State and went to prison,” Wilson said. “I used to sit and talk with him a lot. He said drinking caused a lot of his problems. Now, he doesn’t go out at night and doesn’t drink.”

Wilson also has some advice for the Bucs when the NFL lockout ends.

“Their first priority should be signing (offensive lineman) Davin Joseph,” Wilson said. “I learned so much from him as a person and a player. He is a hard worker who knows how to maintain his composure and discipline.”

As for his future, Wilson admits he might be getting a little closer to the end of his playing days, but he can still get it done.

“I can’t make a living from what they are paying me here. I just do it for the love of the game,” he said. “I like everything about pro football except the business part. When you are a free agent, it’s tough.”

But if an NFL team calls when the lockout ends?

“I could help, but my focus now is the AFL,” he said.

The defense rests

Did you ever wonder why Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game seems to get so much attention while so little goes to pro football and basketball?

Could it be about defense?

You can’t hide shoddy or no defense in basketball or football. But no respectable infielder is going to let a ground ball go through his legs or make an errant throw to first. And no pitcher with even the slightest bit of integrity would throw a meatball up to the plate and take a chance of some .220 hitter sending it on a 400-foot-plus journey.

NBA All-Star Game defenses often resemble a re-enactment of the parting of the Red Sea. No one wants to stop Kobe Bryant or the like from getting to the rim unheeded and slamming one down. Avoiding contact at the NFL’s Pro Bowl is recommended and a sign of maturity.

Alan Dell, Herald sports writer, can be reached at 745-2112.