Maurice Clarett

1 Biography
2 Quote
3 Statistics
4 References
5 Related Articles
- 5.1 Recent Maurice Clarett ArmchairGM Stories

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal

Born on October 29, 1983 in Warren, Ohio.
Grew up in Youngstown, Ohio.
Attended Warren Harding High School
Attended The Ohio State University
Drafted by the Denver Broncos 101st overall in the 3rd round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

[edit] High School

Maurice Clarett was widely considered the best prep-football player in the country when, in 2001, he was selected as the USA Today Ohio Player of the Year. That year, as a senior, he rushed for 2,194 yards and 38 touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 351 yards and 6 scores. In the Ohio High School Association Playoffs that year, he rushed for 785 yards and 8 touchdowns. Clarett signed a letter of intent to play for The Ohio State University in February 2002.

[edit] College

Clarett earned the starting tailback spot on the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes after a strong performance in Spring Practice. That year, he rushed for 1,237 yards (an OSU freshman record) and scored 18 touchdowns. His performance that season was a big reason the Buckeyes went 14-0 on their way to the 2002 BCS National Championship which culminated in a double-overtime victory over the University of Miami in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl - a game in which Clarett scored the winning touchdown. He became the first freshman running back to lead a National Championship team in rushing since Ahman Green for the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The fairy tale season was not without bumps in the road, however. During the Northwestern game in 2002, Clarett was seen on the sidelines verbally assaulting OSU Running Backs Coach Ron Springs. It was also during that game that Maurice suffered a pinched nerve in his shoulder that would limit his productivity over the next three games. During the off-season that was to follow, the New York Times broke a story that accused the university of making acedemic exceptions for key athletes (one of which was reported to be Clarett). Although the accusations were never proven to be true, this would be the first of a long line of very public personal problems Clarett would face.
Clarett was subsequently suspended by the university for the 2003 football season after being charged with filing a false police report. In the report, Clarett claimed that $10,000 in cash, CD's, and clothes had been stolen from an SUV that he had "borrowed" from a local car dealership.

[edit] Challenging the NFL

Rather than wait out his suspension and continue his education, Clarett decided to quit school after school AD Andy Geiger reported to the local press that Clarett had evidently received thousands of dollars in "inappropriate" benefits and had lied about them to both university officials, as well as police.
He attempted to enter the 2004 NFL Draft by challenging the rule that a "player must wait three years after graduating high school to be eligible to be drafted." A Federal Court originally ruled in Clarett's favor, stating the NFL did not have the right to keep Clarett from participating in the draft. On appeal, however, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Curcuit overturned the original decision and an appeal to the Supreme Court was denied.

[edit] NFL

In a campus workout for NFL scouts, Clarett ran a 4.66 40-yard dash - a time that is considered terrible for a running back prospect. Later, at the NFL Combine, he ran an even worse 4.86. At the time, his draft value was considered nil and it was widely assumed that he would not be drafted, that he would be forced to make it into the NFL as an undrafted rookie, or perhaps via the Canadian Football League.
In what may have been the biggest surprise at the 2005 NFL Draft, Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Denver Broncos took a chance on Clarett with the 101st overall selection.
Denver is famous for developing running backs and tailoring game plans to the strength of its running backs. At the time, while still a surprise, the general opinion seemed to be that if anyone can make a serviceable back out of Maurice Clarett, it was Mike Shannahan. When Clarett showed up at Training Camp at 248 pounds (a full 16 pounds over his college weight), it became clear that making the team would be an uphill struggle. The fact that he had multiple run-ins with team coaches and management didn't help, but his fate seemed sealed when he was allegedly caught drinkng alcohol in the team's weight room. Maurice Clarett was placed on waivers on August 28, 2005.
He has since signed with the Youngstown Hitmen, a semi-pro franchise in the Eastern Indoor Football League.

[edit] Legal Problems

In the early morning hours of January 1, 2006, Columbus, Ohio police issued an APB for Clarett, who was being sought in connection to an armed robbery that took place outside the Opium Lounge, a local dance club. Allegedly, Clarett robbed two people of a cell phone with a .45 calibur handgun and fled in a white SUV. He was indicted on February 10 and is facing up to 25 years in prison on those counts.

In the early morning hours of August 8, 2006, Maurice Clarett was arrested after fleeing police who tried to ticket him for an illegal turn. A search of his vehicle turned up four loaded weapons - 3 handguns and an assault rifle. Additionally, Clarett was found to be wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time.