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Lonestar
08-23-2010, 03:45 PM
Maurice Clarett: Prime example of football's dark side
By Patrick Saunders
The Denver Post
POSTED: 08/23/2010 12:50:59 PM MDT


Tailback Maurice Clarett was all smiles when the Broncos drafted him in the spring of 2005. (THE DENVER POST | JOHN LEYBA)
Maurice Clarett's life is a cautionary tale about what's wrong with America's football machine. It's a system that promises riches and fame to poor, starry-eyed kids, and then spits those kids out when they screw up. For clueless kids like Clarett, it can be a life-breaker.

I bring this up because the oft-troubled Clarett is back in the news. The kid from the rough streets of Youngstown, Ohio, the former Ohio State running back sensation and the Broncos' woeful third-round draft choice in 2005, wants to play football again.

This comes after Clarett pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon and served 3-1/2 years in a Toledo prison. He just finished up a 4-1/2-month stint in what The

Post Poll -- Going Pro
If you had a talented, athletic son with a possible future in the pro sports, would you:
Tell them to stay in college until they earned their degree.
Tell them to stay in college at least through their junior year.
Tell them to turn pro and go after the money as soon as they have the chance.

Associated Press called "a locked-down, dormitory-style facility" that serves as a transition for those getting out of jail.
Now Clarett is seeking permission from a judge so that he can travel out of Ohio to attend a try out with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League.

By the way, Omaha's player personnel director is Ted Sundquist, the former Broncos general manager who selected Clarett in the 2005 draft. Sundquist is a good and decent man, so I believe he's holding out a helping hand to Clarett.

That's all well and good, but I'm wondering if dreams are still clouding Clarett's judgment. He's been taking classes at Ohio State while living in the detention center. Reports are that he's turning thing around. I just hope he doesn't think football will save his life.

That plan didn't work out too well the first time.

Back in 2003, Ohio State suspended Clarett for his sophomore season after determining he'd accepted thousands of dollars in improper benefits and then lied to NCAA and school investigators. Two weeks after his suspension, Clarett sued the NFL for the right to enter the draft early. Though he won the initial decision, he lost on appeals, leaving him in limbo until the Broncos took a chance on him in April 2005. By then, he was already damaged goods.

There was a lot of controversy about Clarett's decisions at the time. And while I believe young athletes should have the right to choose between staying in school and going pro, I wish more kids like Clarett would stay in school. And I wish those schools could find a way more meaningful way to really stress the importance of staying in school for the long haul.

As Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops recently told The Post's John Henderson: "If you're not a first-round guy, you're foolish (to go pro). You're giving up your education and you're not going to maximize your window. It's a known fact also in the NFL, that guys with their degrees make more money and play longer than guys who don't."

It's why I'm all for schools creating a giant buffer between the college players and greedy agents.

Trivia time

What team did Clarett score the winning touchdown against in the Fiesta Bowl to give Ohio State to win the 2002 national championship? (Answer below)











Clarett, a freshman, scored on a 5-yard touchdown against the University of Miami to help the Buckeyes finish 14-0.

Patrick Saunders' "Lunch Special" runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com.

rcsodak
08-23-2010, 05:47 PM
cool! Maybe i can get him to autograph a football and sell it on Ebay........




....nah. :coffee
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rcsodak
08-23-2010, 05:51 PM
wonder if he's gonna offer to play for free again? He'll fit right in in 'North O'.
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tripleoption
08-23-2010, 08:22 PM
Hmmmm....my take on this article is that it's not Clarett's fault he turned out like he did, but it's football's fault. News flash...Clarett turned out like he did because he's a dumbass! He was given several chances for success and screwed them all up. He's where he is because of his own actions.

Overtime
08-24-2010, 05:44 PM
i dont necessarily think Clarrett would be looking for football to save his life. it's clear the kid loves football. michael vick went and murdered dogs and made a comeback in the NFL, so why can't Clarrett do it as well?

The only thing that's holding him back is himself. If he wants it bad enough, he'll earn it, but he'll have to make the best of his opportunity, because he's what 29? 30 years old now? his days are numbered, but if he gets it together and puts a few productive years together, he can still retire with more money in the bank than any one of us would ever see in a lifetime....but that's only if he makes the best of his opportunity and lands a contract.

but I'll give him props, he's back in school, he's trying to get his life straight, and instead of being out on the streets or in bars, he's trying to get on a semi-pro football roster which will help keep him occupied which equals less time to get in trouble. commendable effort by the young lad.