DB Eugene Clifford - transfer to Tenn. St. (official thread)

[Honor&Glory]

Originally Posted by Bleed S & G

Time for me to defend my home town Yes, Columbus is a big city.. but pot is hardly a big city temptation. Not to mention he failed a drug test before coming to Columbus..

sorry...

I guess a what I meant to say is he needs to get away from the people who bring him down so he can finally realize what he has. He needs to stop 'keeping it real' if you catch my drift.

[Bleed S & G]

Originally Posted by Honor&Glory

sorry...

I guess a what I meant to say is he needs to get away from the people who bring him down so he can finally realize what he has. He needs to stop 'keeping it real' if you catch my drift.

Yes he does need to get away from those people.. but it dosen't matter where he goes if he can't use some will power and his head. But we are in agreement.

[Buckskin86]

The buzz at Ohio State is that cornerback Eugene Clifford probably faces at least a season-long suspension and might even be kicked off the football team for a string of incidents that culminated in his recent arrest -- but total removal isn't among coach Jim Tressel's favorite methods of discipline.

Although 20 Ohio State players have been arrested or cited with some crime since Tressel took over in 2001, only three -- Louis Irizarry and Ira Guilford in 2004 (both charged with felony robbery) and Jonathan Skeete in 2006 (felony drug trafficking) -- have been thrown off the team. Maurice Clarett and Marco Cooper were suspended and never returned.

Media and fan interest over Clifford's status (he is accused of punching two employees at a Cincinnati sports bar) has been relatively weak.

He was considered the third-best defensive back in the nation coming out of high school, but the Cincinnati Colerain graduate is probably the fourth-best cornerback on the Buckeyes, behind Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington and Chimdi Chekwa.

The Columbus Dispatch : Bob Hunter commentary: Rumblings

[craigblitz]

He was considered the third-best defensive back in the nation coming out of high school, but the Cincinnati Colerain graduate is probably the fourth-best cornerback on the Buckeyes, behind Malcolm Jenkins, Donald Washington and Chimdi Chekwa.

Anyone else just find that paragraph unneeded or useful to the story.

[OH10]

Originally Posted by craigblitz

Anyone else just find that paragraph unneeded or useful to the story.

It's not just a story. Bob Hunter's ramblings always have a tint of commentary. Besides, it illustrates that Clifford's loss is much more his loss than Ohio State's.

[DaddyBigBucks]

1. That this was a very highly touted recruit is a legitimate part of the story
2. That Clifford played 20 minutes last year, all in non-conference games, is a legitimate part of the story
3. Put together in the same paragraph, one of the implications is that his behaviour may have already been preventing him from reaching his potential. This is a legitimate topic to ponder, as long as you either; a) leave it to the reader to ponder or, b) label it clearly as your own speculation if you don't have facts to back it up.

I have no problem with the story whatsoever.

[craigblitz]

Have no issues at all with the article... The Jist of the article to me was that Eugene will be getting punished and based on buzz will be a season long suspension. Got it, but what does him being fourth in the writers opinion have to do with anything to support that main idea.

I am ffffaaaaarrrrr from an editor, I just thought it was a little jab to Eugene or leading the readers to think it is no big deal if we lose him for a season. Just thought it was a little out of place.

[Redhawk]

Originally Posted by craigblitz

I am ffffaaaaarrrrr from an editor, I just thought it was a little jab to Eugene or leading the readers to think it is no big deal if we lose him for a season. Just thought it was a little out of place.

What if he was our best returning corner and that was mentioned? I thought it was just showing how it might (or might not) impact the team to those readers who weren't familiar with him. Except for those that have followed OSU recruiting, I would assume the huge majority have never heard his name until now.

[greyscarlet]

Originally Posted by Redhawk

What if he was our best returning corner and that was mentioned? I thought it was just showing how it might (or might not) impact the team to those readers who weren't familiar with him. Except for those that have followed OSU recruiting, I would assume the huge majority have never heard his name until now.

I agree the average follower of Buckeye football solely via dispatch would likely not know the full depth chart and the sentence was likely intended to fill that void for people.
I don't want to get into a depth chart debate but the sentence could be implied as "even though Clifford may not be a household name, he is on the threshold."

[sparcboxbuck]

Originally Posted by craigblitz

Anyone else just find that paragraph unneeded or useful to the story.

I think the point that he made with that statement was a strong one. A point that is a very similar in position of many who frequent this board. I don't expect coverage of tOSU football program to be flattering all time... I do expect it to be fair. I do think that statement was very fair.

[SEREbuckeye]

Originally Posted by craigblitz

Have no issues at all with the article... The Jist of the article to me was that Eugene will be getting punished and based on buzz will be a season long suspension. Got it, but what does him being fourth in the writers opinion have to do with anything to support that main idea.

I am ffffaaaaarrrrr from an editor, I just thought it was a little jab to Eugene or leading the readers to think it is no big deal if we lose him for a season. Just thought it was a little out of place.

No, IMO it was just a quick way of correlating him to our team in terms of football production.

[Trevi]

Ohio State football: Tressel updates on Eugene Clifford, Mike Adams and Terrelle Pryor - Cleveland Sports News – The Latest Breaking News, Game Recaps and Scores from The Plain Dealer

Update on Clifford's status:

Eugene Clifford's status with the Ohio State football team should be cleared up by next week, OSU coach Jim Tressel said today. At a news conference to promote his new book, Tressel said Clifford still was working out with this teammates this week following his arrest 10 days ago on two charges of assault.

"Then we'll sort it out as to where we go from there," Tressel said. "I'd like to think within the next week we'll know our direction."

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Ohio State football: Special-teamer Clifford given his release to play elsewhere

Thursday, July 24, 2008 3:05 AM
By Tim May


THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH



Sources close to the Ohio State football program confirmed last night that reserve safety Eugene Clifford has been granted a release that would allow him to pursue his football career at another school. Coach Jim Tressel could not be reached for comment, and attempts to reach Clifford were unsuccessful.
Cont...

[ScriptOhio]

Hopefully this will bring closure to the "Clifford saga at Ohio State". I wish him the best at whatever school he chooses to transfer to.

[osugrad21]

CPD

Tressel did not completely confirm a Columbus Dispatch report that defensive back Eugene Clifford, facing two assault charges, had been given his release and was planning a transfer. "I really can't say anything about Eugene just in case he ends up somewhere else and they need to talk about it," Tressel said. But when asked if he expected Clifford to be part of the team come preseason camp, Tressel said, "Probably not." . . .