Maurice Clarett has been the victim of circumstances all too familiar to top college athletes. Upon entering Ohio State, he was treated like a golden boy - given cars, money, and all the "help" a young student could ever ask for, including easy classes and tutors who did much of his work for him. During 2002, his first (and only) season on the field, Clarett gained 1,237 yards, scored 16 touchdowns, and led Ohio State to a national championship. He is still waiting for another chance to prove himself. Ironically, it may have been a break-in of one of his borrowed vehicles that caused his downfall. When NCAA investigators caught wind of the police report associated with the break-in, which listed over $10 thousand worth of property stolen, they came down hard on Clarett. They wanted to know where he got all that money and property (and where he got the vehicle to start with). But rather than giving up Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and the other players who were receiving the same benefits, Clarett kept his mouth shut. He assumed Tressel would take care of him. Instead, he was suspended from the team. In early 2004, Clarett made an attempt at getting back on the field for OSU, but new demands, including the maintenance of a minimum 3.5 GPA with no help from tutors, was too great a task. Even after being suspended from the team, he remained quiet about the special treatment he had once received...until recently. Ultimately, it was the desire to enter the NFL that forced his hand to come clean about the goings-on at Ohio State. Clarett's reputation had been so seriously tarnished, he was looking at entering in a late round of the draft, if at all. Clarett's character was openly called into question to NFL officials by Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger. Clarett has asked the Supreme Court to change its ruling denying him entry into the NFL. He will be eligible for the next draft regardless, so this appears to be a move intended to aid those in the future who wind up in the same position - abandoned by their school, with nowhere to go but the NFL. Some believe that the NFL's policy of refusing to admit men who have been out of high school less than three years is simply a means for the league to maintain a training ground for players that doesn't cost it anything (see www.draftclarett.org). Clarett has a reputation as a troubled young man who struggles with the truth. But circumstances created Maurice Clarett. He arrived at Ohio State like a star, and then was stripped of everything, becoming the most villified college athlete in the country. He has received countless hate mail and a gun was even fired into his mother's house. I suspect many of us would fold under that pressure. Give an 18 year old just out of high school money and cars and anything he wants, and he will likely take them - especially when the gifts are endorsed by his coach, the person who is supposed to have his best interests in mind. Clarett became the scapegoat, but he is just a small piece of a corrupt football factory (not at all to say that this only happens at Ohio State. Let's be realistic - division 1 college football is big business, and big players get special treatment). During his time away from the game, Clarett has engaged in an intense training regimen, and may yet get the last laugh over Ohio State, especially now that his allegations are being backed up by other former players. When Maryland running back Sammy Maldonado transferred away from Ohio State, only 17 of 40 possible credits were transferrable to his new school. He backs up Clarett's claims. In a twist of fate, Clarett may yet go on to find success in the NFL while Ohio State suffers the consequences of an NCAA investigation. What comes around goes around. |
