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COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Big brother stood behind little brother during the first workout together at the gym, lifted off the bar with five-pound weights on either end and passed down the inspiration that would stick with him along with it.Pat Elflein dreamed of playing football at Ohio State. Matt Elflein was going to do everything he could to help him get there.I saw it in him, the drive, and I remember the very first time at Metro Fitness in Pickerington [Ohio], Matt, now 27, said. I told him, Hey, if you want to play at Ohio State, it starts right now. That stuck with him ever since, and I tried to ingrain that work ethic in his head.Our relationship is one of a kind. We click. Ever since he got into playing some sports, I was just trying to be the older brother to look out after him.That early influence on the younger brother clearly worked. Pat Elflein is a senior captain of the Buckeyes, the rock of the offensive line at center, an Outland Trophy semifinalist and a surefire NFL draft pick when the time comes.But eventually, the roles shifted in the family. Little brother was the one standing behind big brother, and the weight that was holding him down was brutal drug addiction that threatened to destroy their bond.And this time the message had far greater stakes.Blessed with the same athletic genes and the work ethic the family passed on as well, Matt Elflein turned himself into a college football player first. And thats where the trouble started.He had dealt with his share of bumps and bruises as any linebacker would, dating to high school. And while dabbling in rugby, hed once had somebody fall on his head, breaking his eye socket and needing a plate put in his face. His mom didnt sign the paperwork for rugby again, turning him into a one-sport star on the way to a career at Ohio Dominican.A torn labrum during his sophomore year came with surgery and a bottle of pills that wound up doing far more damage than the hit that injured him.Thats when the whirlwind started, Matt said. I was introduced to pain pills. I was in my dorm, living on my own and didnt really have anyone to hold me accountable. Dont get me wrong, I was an adrenaline seeker. I loved the adrenaline rush, an opium rush, any of that. Anything that made me feel good, I liked.Thinking back to when I was younger, I had this addictive personality. Anything that made me feel good, I wanted more of. That started with the gym, really. That was my first addiction. I was working out before practice, before school, during football, after football.Eventually that effect would wear off for him. By the time he was physically ready to get back on the practice field or in the gym, Matt was already focused on chasing a different high.What started as a recovery process instead spiraled violently the other way. And for a while he was able to continue functioning, making it through some classes, passing some qualification tests and holding down a couple of jobs, but the addiction was taking hold.Well, you know, everyones rock bottom is different, Matt said. Rock bottom is when you quit digging. For me, it was bouncing between those two jobs and sleeping in my car. Sleeping at the drug house, sleeping on the floor there -- it was bad. I mean, I couldnt go home. They heated the house with a stove. There were mice and everything. It was terrible, dirty, [like the kind of] place you see on TV you would never think you would be.There I was. I was f------ there. Sleeping on the floor, scraping change to get a dollar to get a cheeseburger. And I lost my family. They didnt want anything to do with me, they still cared, but it was from a distance.That mission that started in the Metro Fitness had been accomplished. Pat Elflein had just arrived at Ohio State, was battling for a job on the offensive line and ready to achieve everything hed talked about with Matt over the years.But he was distracted, hurting and trying to figure out how to help a brother he barely recognized anymore.It was one of the worst things Ive ever been through, Pat said. Going from someone who was so close to you and you looked up to so much, goes through this disease and it just changes who that person is. This person is now lying to you, stealing from you and is doing whatever they can to get that fix. Theyre a totally different person, and they dont have control over that.Its tough not knowing if hes coming home that night, where hes at, where hes sleeping because hes not sleeping at home. Its really a tough situation.That was certainly obvious to those around the Buckeyes, who could see that Pats mind was often elsewhere.The young offensive lineman had his own future and career about which to worry. And while he wanted to be around to support Matt, thats not always possible for somebody in the middle of a football season.Yeah, it was awful, coach Urban Meyer said. Pat is like a family member, and my wife Shelley is very close with him. She deals with addiction -- thats her career, shes a psychiatric nurse and shes incredible. Shes helped other players and players families, so we actually got all together. I love Pat, theres nothing I wont do for him.If someone you love is dealing with a hard time, his reaction didnt surprise me. And how he ended up dealing with it didnt surprise me. Hes an All-American center, but hes also an all-American person, which is even more important. I didnt want him to go through this by himself.Nobody can go through it alone.Matt fought that message four times, leaving rehab stints early and believing he had the answers for the problem without the help. Eventually it started to sink in as the distance between his younger brother and the family continued to grow.I was just hard-headed and refused to listen to the people that have all these degrees hanging on their wall or 15 years sobriety -- I thought I was different, that I could do it on my own, Matt said. Well, I couldnt. Finally my mom found me at work, like 5:30 in the morning, took me to McDonalds, got me a big orange juice and a steak-egg-and-cheese bagel, it was so good. Then we sat down and talked, cried, she came to me and she found me, but I was like, I need help. I need to go to rehab.I went back to work, she called me about three hours later and said, So, you want to go to rehab? Your plane leaves at 6. It arrived in Florida. After 47 days of inpatient treatment, the corner was turned. Three years later, hes sober, a project manager at work, a part-time firefighter, new dad -- and a rock again for his little brother.Pat Elflein stood on a stage at his high school in Pickerington, flanked by a senator on one side and an Army general on the other.His youth football coach, Wayne Campbell, who founded a nonprofit organization to fight drug usage called Tylers Light and had organized the event for more than 600 students as part of the push for drug-free clubs across Ohio, was in the audience.The Ohio State center was supposed to have 10 minutes to speak about his own experiences with his family, and Campbell was waving his hand to tell Elflein to wind it down.He just put his head down and said, Ive got another story to tell you, Campbell said. I went, Oh no, hes going way over. Pat what are you doing?Then he starts telling this story about his friend, I had never heard it because it just happened -- this place came to a standstill. You could hear a pin drop. Now Im thinking, It was meant to be. Im glad I didnt wave him off the stage and he got to say that part. Hes got it from a personal perspective, then his best friend.Drugs had just stolen another relationship with Elflein, this time for good. And while in this case there was no sign of a battle with addiction, Zach Hemmilas death hit Elflein hard after his childhood friend died in his sleep with a toxic mix of prescription pills in his bloodstream.The Arizona center had grown up down the street from him in Pickerington, best friends until a job took the Hemmila family to Phoenix -- where he would develop into another No. 65 on a Power 5 offensive line.Speaking to those kids kind of like fired off a rocket, Campbell said. Hes come to some awareness events before, and hell get up on the stage and talk. This was a completely different deal -- and the thing is, its away from football. We know youre popular over here, but look over here.He used that platform, and I think he really got excited about the feedback he got. Kids were just surrounding him. Pat, hes an All-American at Ohio State, but they wanted to talk about this. They didnt just want an autograph, they wanted to talk about this issue with him, which is really cool.The phone buzzes around three times each day, one Elflein to another.The fight never ends, but the older brother has a new habit for his addictive personality to chase -- staying sober. And when little brother needs a little motivation, he knows one easy way to find it.Hes my rock, thats my man, Pat said. If theres ever something I need, ups and downs, he calls me, I call him.Weve been through it all together.There was even another shoulder issue in the family to get through recently. And even though it was just a minor scope for Pat, there was another bottle of prescription pills around that couldnt help but give something of a scare to an otherwise imposing 6-foot-3, 300-pound lineman.Oh yeah, because I know how easy that stuff is to get addicted to, Pat Elflein said. I had my mom hold on to it so she was giving it to me when I needed it. Right when I felt like I didnt need it anymore, we got rid of them. They were gone.As soon as I could tolerate the pain with just Ibuprofen or something over the counter relief, those things were gone.That was one lesson among many learned the hard way.And now its a new message for the Elfleins to deliver when they stand behind somebody else needing a lift.It gives me chills to hear him speak, Matt said. Thats why Im so open about it as well. Addiction is a vicious cycle, and I feel that pain.Oh man, this is just all about helping other people.After having drugs splinter a one-of-a-kind bond, now the brothers can help tackle that problem together. Arvydas Sabonis Jersey . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. Buck Williams Jersey . Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. https://www.cheapblazersonline.com/1018i-theo-ratliff-jersey-blazers.html . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Sam Bowie Jersey . -- Jaye Marie Green shot a 4-under 68 on Thursday to increase her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tours qualifying tournament. Rudy Fernandez Jersey .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at Boston Strong - a citys recovery from tragedy. LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The Auburn volleyball team went into intermission trailing No. 21 Louisville, 0-2, and came out of it swinging, using tough serves and solid defense to pull off a 3-2 (15-25, 17-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-8) comeback victory over the Cardinals Saturday night. The match was the final one of the Active Ankle Challenge in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.Louisville is a really good team and were very efficient the first two sets, head coach Rick Nold said. We came out with a new mentality in set three and started really fighting for points. When you do that, things start working out in your favor and thats what happened to us tonight.The Tiger servers took care of business beginning in the third set, putting the Cardinals (4-2) out of system on a consistence basis and allowing the Auburn offense to capitalize on free balls.We really tightened up our serving after the break and got them out of system a lot, Nold added. That forced Louisville into some errors and we took advantage of it.The win moved Auburn to 3-4 on the season. Santa Clara captured the tournament title after going 3-0 on the weekend.Sophomore Brenna McIlroy and junior Alexa Filley were placed on the All-Tournament team for the Tigers. McIlroy led the Auburn offense with a season-high 18 kills, while Filley finished with another double-double of 48 assists and 19 digs. Senior Emily Klitzke added 13 kills and freshman Gwyn Jones had 11 with two blocks.Defensively, junior Jesse Earl put together a 16-dig performance, while sophomore Abigail Miller had a career-best 10 digs. Junior Tate Pember added six digs and a team-best two service aces.The Cardinals (4-2) were led by Melanie McHenry with 14 kills and 16 digs. Tess Clark and Janelle Jenkins added 12 kills apiece and libero Molly Sauer had a match-high 20 digs.Kills from Filley and McIlroy put the Tigers up earlly at 4-3 in the first set.dddddddddddd Tied at seven, the Cardinals pushed a five-point run to go up 12-7. Another long Louisville run lifted the home squad to a 17-9 advantage and the Cards took the set, 25-15.Louisville took a quick 4-2 lead in set two and held its slim margin until a handful of Cardinal errors pushed Auburn ahead at 9-8. The Cards responded with a run to go up at 16-11, forcing a Tiger timeout. Louisville went into intermission with a 25-17 win.Auburn used tough serving to take a 7-4 lead in the third stanza and Cardinal errors lifted the Tigers to a 12-9 lead. The Auburn service line continued to put Louisville out system and more Cardinal miscues pushed the Tigers up 17-12. A trio of Klitzke kills made it 20-13 and kills from Stephanie Campbell and McIlroy gave Auburn a 25-14 victory.The Tigers maintained momentum in set four and pushed a 7-5 lead. A pair of Campbell/Filley blocks followed by a trio of Louisville attack errors made it 14-9 Auburn. A kill from Klitzke put the Tigers up 19-15 before the Cardinals regained some energy to take a 20-19 lead. Back-to-back swings by Jones gave Auburn its lead back at 22-21 and the Tigers forced the deciding set with a 25-22 win.The visiting team opened the fifth with a 5-1 run highlighted by trio of kills from McIlroy. The Cardinals battled back and cut the Tiger lead at 6-5. Three Louisville errors put Auburn up 10-7 and a kill from McIlroy gave the visitors match point at 14-8. Pember sealed the Tiger win with a service ace, 15-8.The Tigers return to Auburn Arena, Sept. 9-10, and host the Auburn Invitational. The team opens with a pair of matches vs. Memphis and Miami (OH) Friday and close out the weekend with a 1:30 p.m. match vs. Jacksonville. ' ' '