Maurice Clarett

Maurice Clarett

Maurice Edward Clarett (born October 29, 1983 in Youngstown, Ohio) is a former American football player. At The Ohio State University, he was considered one of the best college football players in the country, his freshman year and led the Buckeyes to a national championship. He is well known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL's rule that a player must be out of high school for three years to be eligible for the entry draft and his tumultuous life afterwards. Since the national championship game that made him a national figure, Clarett has not played another game of football. Now in prison after pleading guilty to various criminal charges, he is considered one of the greatest disappointments in the history of college football.

Family

Maurice Clarett is the son of Michael Graham Clarett Sr. and Michelle Renee Clarett (now divorced). His father is a businessman, who once worked as a Regional Rep for the Secretary of State in Ohio. His mother worked as a senior administrator in the Mahoning county court system. He has an older brother named Marcus A. Clarett who was a defensive linebacker for the University of Buffalo and another older brother, Michael Graham Clarett Jr., who is currently serving a felony sentence in the Ohio State Penitentiary for assault, drug trafficking and drug possession.[1] Maurice has a daughter born July 16th, 2006 with girlfriend Ashley Evans. Clarett also has a cousin Vince Charles Marrow who played as a tight end in the NFL, XFL and NFL Europe, Marrow currently is an Offense Assistant/Tight Ends coach for NFL Europe's Berlin Thunder.

Biography

College career

After displaying his state-recognized abilities as a punishing freshman tailback playing varsity at Austintown Fitch High School, Clarett transfered to Warren G. Harding High School to continue his scholastic career and garnered national attention. Where as he was coming out of Harding, many if not all national publications dubbed him the top high school football player in the country. During his junior year of high school Clarett made an early visit to the University of Notre Dame and demanded he be able to play for the Fighting Irish in the following season and thus skip his senior season of high school. When that fell through, Clarett said he was interested in the University of Michigan. Before being named the USA Today high-school player of the year and Parade All American, Clarett received an offer from the Ohio State University and verbally committed to the Buckeyes before signing with the team in February 2002. Graduating 6 months early from high school, Clarett was able to earn the starting tailback spot for the Buckeyes after a strong spring season.

Clarett starred at Ohio State for one season, rushing for 1,237 yards (a school record for a freshman) and scoring 18 touchdowns, which helped the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and the 2002 BCS National Championship. He scored the winning touchdown against the University of Miami with a five-yard run in the second overtime in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl (played January 3, 2003). He also made a key play on defense in that game, stealing the ball from Hurricanes safety Sean Taylor, who had just intercepted a Craig Krenzel pass into the end zone. As a direct result of that play, Ohio State kicked a field goal, giving them a 10-point lead at the time. Clarett was the first freshman to be the leading rusher on a national championship team since Ahman Green of the University of Nebraska in 1995.

First signs of trouble

Clarett's time at The Ohio State University was marked by some troubling incidents. He was seen yelling at his position coach during the Northwestern - Ohio State game in the 2002 season. In December 2002, he publicly blasted OSU officials for not allowing him to fly home for the funeral of a friend and accused administrators of lying when they said he had not filed the necessary paperwork. In July 2003, Clarett became the center of an academic scandal when a teaching assistant told the New York Times that Clarett had received preferential treatment from a professor; the investigation later concluded that there was no solid evidence of academic misconduct. Clarett was then suspended by Ohio State for the 2003 athletic year after being charged for filing a false police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment were stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership in September 2003. Athletic Director Andy Geiger stated that Clarett received thousands of dollars in special benefits and repeatedly misled investigators. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser criminal charge in that incident.

Clarett dropped out of school and moved to Los Angeles, where he befriended members of the rap community who provided him with a beachfront Malibu property, a rumored 10 luxury cars and illegal drugs. During this time, he sued to be included in the 2004 NFL Draft but lost in court. Subsequently, Clarett worked with trainers in preparation for the 2005 NFL Combine, hoping to impress for the upcoming draft.

Attempts to turn pro

After dropping out of school, Clarett attempted to enter the 2004 NFL Draft, challenging the NFL's rule that one must wait 3 years after graduating from High School to declare for the draft. Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin initially ruled that the NFL could not bar Clarett from participating in the 2004 NFL Draft. This decision was later overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and Clarett's higher appeal was refused by the Supreme Court.

Clarett has been represented by California attorney David Kenner. Clarett lived with Kenner and claims that Kenner helped him straighten out his life. Kenner is the longtime attorney of Death Row Records CEO and controversial hip-hop kingpin Marion "Suge" Knight.

In February 2005, he participated in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. During a press conference, he uttered the phrase: "It's a humbling thing being humble." After running for a disappointing 4.72 and 4.82 seconds in the 40 yard dash, he refused to participate further, and was referred to as "Slow-Mo" by the sports media, who were largely critical of his obvious lack of preparation. Ohio State declined to allow him to take part in a private workout for pro scouts in Columbus because it wanted to avoid a "circus" situation.

Draft day surprise

In a widely unexpected move, Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round (101st overall) by the Denver Broncos. Many experts felt that he would fall to the 6th or 7th round, if he was drafted at all. Clarett, however, was unimpressive in the Denver Broncos' preseason training camp. He entered training camp weighing 248 pounds (at least 20 pounds overweight), was slow to return from an injury, had run-ins with coaches and was even found drinking alcohol in the team's weight room. Despite his unimpressive training camp, Clarett was offered and signed a four-year contract on July 28, 2005, with the Broncos in which he gave up $413,000 of guaranteed money in order to secure an incentive-laden deal. Clarett signed this deal against the advice of his former agents, Steve Feldman and Josh Luchs. Clarett's motivation was to replace the proposed deal with a package that would pay him first-round money if he rushed for 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.

However, after further disappointments and incidents with his coaches, Clarett was released on waivers on August 28, 2005, only a month after signing his contract and before taking a snap in the NFL. As is standard procedure in the NFL, for a 24-hour period after his release, other teams could have claimed him and taken on his contract. After that 24-hour period, he was free from his contract and able to negotiate with any team, but no team expressed interest.

Problems post-Broncos

Subsequently, Clarett's future became uncertain. The Miami Herald reported in September that Clarett was already $1 million in debt from legal fees for his fight with the NFL and other costs. They also reported that Clarett turned down the traditional signing bonus in the originally proposed contract from Denver because Kenner wanted incentives that would pay Clarett if he became a star. When contacted by The Herald, Kenner said: "I'm not at liberty to discuss any of those matters. But thank you for the call." Kenner then hung up.

A source close to Clarett is reported to have stated: "It's ridiculous how badly this thing is screwed up. In the minds of the people around Maurice, he was going to walk in and be a superstar. They kept filling his head with that idea, and he thought he was already the man before he did anything."

Exploring alternatives to the NFL

According to the Wheeling News-Register, Clarett was in talks to play for the Steubenville Stampede. The Stampede are in the North Division of the American Indoor Football League. The AIFL began its second year of league play in February 2006. According to Jim Terry, Manager of the Stampede, "I have been in contact with [Clarett's] agent and he's expressed interest with us... Clarett is hungry and has something to prove. He has a chip on his shoulder and wants to show he can still play." However, Clarett never signed with the Stampede. In an interview with the Columbus Dispatch published on August 10, 2006, Terry claimed that Clarett attempted to call him just minutes before the events on the morning of August 9th that led to Clarett's arrest.

Clarett also expressed interest in playing for NFL Europe.

There were also discussions about Clarett playing for the semi-pro Eastern Indoor Football League team the Mahoning Valley Hitmen, coached by the same Jim Terry.

Robbery conviction

On January 1, 2006, police announced that they were searching for Clarett in relation to two incidents of armed robbery that took place at 1:46am outside the Opium Lounge danceclub in Columbus. Clarett is alleged to have robbed two people with a .45 caliber handgun and then escaped in a white SUV with two unidentified persons. Clarett reportedly made off with only a cell phone valued at $150 belonging to one of the victims.

Said Jim Tressel, his former coach at Ohio State, "I hope it's not true, but beyond that, I don't know much, but my reaction is, I was sad."

Josh Luchs, Clarett's agent, reported that Clarett was going to sign with the NFL on January 2, and was expected to be allocated to NFL Europe.

Clarett turned himself in to police shortly after 9 p.m., EST, on January 2, just as the Buckeyes were defeating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, the very bowl game in which Clarett last played college football and helped OSU win the 2002 National Championship. He faced two counts of aggravated robbery. He was later released on $50,000 bond .

On February 10, Clarett was indicted by a Franklin County grand jury on two counts of aggravated robbery with gun specifications and five other counts. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 25 years in prison. His attorneys said he denies every allegation, saying Clarett "intends to fight this indictment with the same vigor and resolve he displayed in taking OSU to a national championship."

On February 22, 2006, Maurice Clarett pleaded not guilty to aggravated-robbery charges. He was allowed to remain free on $20,000 bail until his trial began.

On July 26, 2006, Clarett fired his lawyers, William Settina and Robert Krapenc, two weeks before his trial date. The privately retained attorneys had filed a motion two days earlier saying they wanted to withdraw their counsel, claiming that Clarett was not paying their fees or cooperating in his defense.

At a status hearing held on August 9, 2006 pertaining to the January charges, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Fais increased Clarett's bond to $1.1 million. This was due to Clarett's arrest earlier that morning (see below). On August 10, 2006, Fais ordered an additional status hearing which was held on August 11, 2006. This hearing had not been requested by either the prosecution or Clarett's defense team but was requested by Fais himself. At the hearing, Fais delayed the trial until September 18, 2006, revoked the $1.1 million bond in the case and ordered Clarett to undergo a mental health evaluation.

August 2006 arrest

File:Mugshot clarett.jpg

Clarett's booking photo from August 9, 2006

In the early morning hours of August 9, 2006, Clarett was arrested in Columbus after he made an illegal U-turn and led the police on a chase in a sports utility vehicle reportedly belonging to his uncle. After driving over a police-mounted spike strip, the chase ended in a nearby restaurant parking lot.

Police said they were forced to secure a cloth around Clarett's mouth after he allegedly spit at the officers and called them "nigga haters" during the arrest. According to Columbus Police Sgt. Mike Woods, the officers discovered a hatchet, a loaded AK-47 variant, a Hi-Point Pistol and two other loaded handguns in his vehicle along with an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka. The police requested that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives perform a trace on the firearms to determine if Clarett violated Federal gun laws.

The officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after attempts to subdue him with a Taser proved ineffective because he was wearing kevlar body armor.

Clarett was arraigned on the latest charges on August 10, 2006 in Franklin County Municipal Court in Columbus. During the arraignment, Judge Andrea C. Peeples set his bond on the charges of carrying a concealed weapon without a permit and failure to maintain current lane at $5 million. In setting the bond, Peeples agreed with prosecutors that Clarett is now a flight risk or could attempt to intimidate witnesses in his upcoming robbery trial. Clarett remained lodged in the Franklin County Corrections Center, however, as the $5 million bond for the robbery charge was revoked by the trial judge. According to a Columbus Dispatch report, Clarett, who was due to be tried for his January arrest, was in the neighborhood of one of the principal witnesses against him at the time the events of August 9 occurred.

Officials are now also investigating allegations that Clarett was associated with an Israeli organized crime leader.

On September 18, Clarett filed a guilty plea to the charges in a plea bargain that involved these events as well as the earlier robbery charges. He was sentenced by Judge David Fais to seven and a half years in prison, but may apply for early release after three and a half years. As part of the plea agreement, the prosecution agreed not to object to early release if and when Clarett applies for it.

On December 14, it was announced that Clarett will be changing prisons to a close-security prison in a single person cell at Toledo Correctional Facility. He will be able to eat and exercise with other inmates.

External links

• Associated Press initial news story on robberies at [2] and [3]
• Maurice Clarett's Rap Sheet

Career Rushing Statistics at Ohio State

Year	Games	Rushes	Yards	Average	TD
2002	11	222	1237	5.6	16
Total	11	222	1237	5.6	16