For those who know Maurice Clarett, the former star running back for Ohio State, this seems to be a raw deal for all parties involved. I feel sorry for the fans of OSU because more than likely they wont repeat as national champions, and I do somewhat feel sorry for Clarett, because I think the NCAA are anal retentive (another thread).
Clarett wants the NFL. He is not interested in school at any level. He could not pass a African-American 101 class without help. I think it sucks when a major college/University allows otherwise lunkheads in college because they can run or shoot a ball in a hole, while the colleges are raising tuition for the rest of us.
QUESTION-The NFL wont let Clarett play because he is too young. The rule states that a player has to be out of High School three years (21) before he can enter the draft. Is’nt this job discrimination based on age? He is surely qualified to play the game. He is an adult. Give the MAN an opportunity for god sakes.
If I was him, I would do nothing but lift weights, run with a trainer and sit on my ass until 2005. Screw going to Grambling or the CFL, I would be resting those legs for the big league, or have my body insured. I just think Clarett should go now.
Football is to a lesser extent like hockey, if you are 19 and good at the college level does not mean that you are going to have success at the pro level. The step-up is far greater in hockey, then football, baseball and lastly basketball. 19 year old KIDS, and that is what Mo-reece is, a KID, is not ready for the NFL.
I strongly dislike Clarett. His family aligning themselves with Jim Brown just sealed the deal. Regardless, Munch hit the nail upon the head. Finally, I do not want to see a solid league like the NFL go down the NBA’s road and removing the 3-year rule would go a LONG way towards that end. The league and college football would be greatly hurt.
I have no sympathy for Clarett. He lied to the police. As for his surely being qualified to play the game, he may well be qualified to play college football, but he is no way even close to being ready for the NFL. he would get demolished.
As for your suggestion that he do nothing but work out and lift weights and sit on his ass, :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: .
Tell me, what is he going to do after he retires from football? If he follows your plan he won’t have had any schooling since his freshman year in college, which means he’s completely unprepared for life after football. Great plan.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
If he had an ounce of brains, he would take some classes, either at Ohio State or another college, and do the workout thing, but sitting on his ass isn’t an option.
He needed to receive an oral exam in the class in order to pass.
Of course, the question that came to mind immediately and that I have not heard a single member of the local media (I’m in Columbus) or any national sports columnist ask is:
If he couldn’t complete the written test, and had to have an oral exam - can this kid read? If so, at what level?
Seemed a completely logical question to me but the answer may be further embarrassment so it is not brought up.
MeanJoe
White Lightning: Clarett is in trouble for two (unrelated) infractions. One is lying to the police about the value of items stolen from his car, which Muldoon refers to above. The other is receiving improper academic help - I think it’s alleged someone may have taken a test for him - in African-American Studies 101. He is banned for the year for the police thing, the academic improprieties are still being investigated.
Apparently (according to ESPN), the NFL doesn’t think it will stand up in court and are hoping he doesn’t actually challenge it. However you slice it - and I’m not sure MAN is an apt description - physically I doubt he’s ready for the pros. He had one good year in college. That’s it. He’s still young (19 or 20), and as such, it’s hard for me to imagine he’s strong enough to take the kind of pounding NFL backs do.
Ha, thanks for the explanation Marley. I’ve only been following this story vaguely and I didn’t realize the AA101 thing was an actual detail from the story. Let me see if I can re-load my knee for it’s next ‘hypersensitive liberal’ jerk…
It’s okay. I figured that was what you were thinking.
“Apparently (according to ESPN), the NFL doesn’t think it will stand up in court and are hoping he doesn’t actually challenge it.”
In case this didn’t make sense, what I meant was ‘the NFL doesn’t think their rule will stand up in court, and are hoping Clarett won’t challenge it.’
Spencer Haywood already challenged a similar rule in the NBA in the 70s, and the courts found for him.
The idea here is that while Clarett would probably win if he sued, it would take so much time and effort to win that it wouldn’t be worth it. Besides, Len Pasquarelli (i think) wrote a column for ESPN about how even if Clarett was allowed to go pro right now, he wouldn’t be much of a prospect initially anyway. Besides, didn’t he have injury problems last year? If a college schedule did that to him, what will the NFL do?
If Clarett sues the N.F.L., he will win. No one really doubts that. He is big enough (5-11, 230lbs) and talented enough that someone will pay him several million dollars to give it a shot. This kid is poor. He is from a very tough area, and has not had an ideal upbringing. If he can just hang around the NFL for a few years, he will be set for life (assuming he is wise with his money).
So he doesn’t need to sit around until 2005, he simply needs to file a lawsuit, which he will win rather quickly. Name a team in the NFL that doesn’t have a player with a bad past, or injury problems and I will have to agree that no one will take a chance on him.
Also, don’t forget that he COULD choose to stay at Ohio State and serve his suspension. He would probably come back some time next year.
I know he has made a major mistake, but aren’t there other college football players who have done worse, and gotten off with lighter penalties. I seem to remember something about a player from Nebraska who was charged with assault, and only had to miss a few games. I don’t remember for sure though. My point is that the punishment doesn’t seem to fit the crime when viewed with respect to other infractions commited by other players.
OK, but explain to me how come Clarett right now is inferior to Buffalo’s first draft pick, UMiami’s Willis McGehee (sp?). If McGehee is good enough to draft on speculation that’ll he’ll get healthy, then isn’t Clarett too?
Clarett’s upbringing and financial status have nothing to do with the issue at hand.
As for winning his lawsuit rather quickly, try again. The NFL has a roomfull of lawyers who will use every legal menas to draw out the litigation, which means more money that Clarett will have to spend on lawyers, (at $300 an hour.)
As for the Nebraska player, you are no doubt thinking of the charming Lawrence Philips who was charged with assaulting his (ex)girlfriend and was suspended by coach Tom Osborne for something like 3 games, which conviently enough allowed Phillips to get back out on the playing field in time for Nebraska’s toughest opponents.
There is also Christian Peter, a defensive lineman for the same Nebraska team that Philips played on, who assaulted a woman outside a bar, repeatedly punching her. She suffered several broken facial bones.
I thought it was an NFL requirement that players HAD to have felony arrests in their backgrounds, with signing bonuses if they’d raped or beaten up a woman. The league is practically a work release program.
I didn’t say Clarett wouldn’t or couldn’t get drafted. Although right now, he wouldn’t, because it’s verboten. McGahee had only one great year, it’s true, but then again, Buffalo surprised everybody by picking him that high. Success in college doesn’t necessarily lead to pro success anyway. For example, the Heisman trophy winner usually flops.
Some players with troubled histories succeed, some don’t. Lawrence Philips didn’t.
Clarett could sit out for the year (if he’s not punished further), but if Ohio State is faced with sanctions the following year, his motivation to come back might be slimmer.
If you bring a case under Equal Protection based on age, it is only a rational basis review case, unlike other Title VII factors which are heightened scrutiny. The NFL just has to come up with a good reason why people who are out of high school for 2 years cannot play in the league.
You do have the NBA case, but the NFL might have an argument that the NBA didn’t bring up or why the NFL is different than the NBA. The case isn’t a slam dunk by any means, I don’t think.
And in other news, the Montreal Alouettes hold Clarett’s CFL rights (how, I have no clue), and their GM told reporters that he wants Clarett to stay in school.
Also from this link: Ohio State doesn’t start school until September 24? Is that right? Jeez, when does school let out, July?
All of the University of California campuses, except for Berkeley, start around that date also. Pretty much every school that uses the quarter system starts in late September, early October. Classes usually end in the 2nd or 3rd week of June.
One theory is that the NFL’s three-year rule is solid - if it’s in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. That appears to be unclear. If not, well, the precedents from the other US pro leagues are against it, and the NFL has a poor record in court anyway.
If Clarett’s a dumb but arrogant kid who is not prepared for anything in life but playing sports, then he’s only the latest in a long queue. Unlike most, though, he has a real prospect of getting paid the big bucks eventually anyway. He did manage to graduate high school early somehow, though, allowing him to take spring classes and attend spring practices last year.
The Alouettes’ coach’s statement seems insincere, somehow - he knows he’s probably getting the guy next summer and maybe right now, and with that statement he can avoid looking like he’s tampering. I suspect he’s privately so excited he can’t stand it.
This is apparently becoming more common for major football prospects, so I’m not sure it says anything about Clarett’s intelligence. Seems to me it’s more likely that in the case of these future stars, certain arrangements are made.
