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Buckeye Beach Bum
IS it too late?
Saturday, January 29, 2005 ...WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE
Time: 9:10:55 PM EST
Is It Too Late For Clarett?
By SAM AMICO
Maurice Clarett will compete in the College All-Star Football Challenge on Monday in what could be a last gasp to impress the NFL.
Is it too late for the former Ohio State running back? I can't be sure.
But here is what I do know:
Clarett trashed Ohio State in ESPN The Magazine last fall because he thought it would help his reputation in the eyes of pro scouts. Instead, it just made things worse.
Clarett lied to NCAA investigators because he said he wanted to protect Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
"I thought he'd give me the NFL,'' Clarett said.
Clarett wasn't kept out of the NFL by Tressel or anybody else at Ohio State. He was kept out the NFL by the NFL - as Clarett lost a legal battle to enter the draft after his freshman year.
Clarett also lied to Columbus police about a break-in involving his own car.
Clarett has done nothing in the past two years. He hasn't gone to school, he hasn't played football.
Clarett sees himself as a victim. Most pro scouts see him as selfish and unmotivated.
Clarett had been given good advice by Tressel and others. It just wasn't the advice he wanted to hear.
Clarett wanted to be told that he could beat the NFL in court and become a first-round draft pick. Had he not listened, he would have completed his junior season at OSU - and most likely be drafted in the early rounds.
Clarett has a history of changing his story, and still hasn't provided a single shred of evidence to prove his charges of cushy jobs, cars, or money from boosters while at Ohio State.
Clarett had one player firmly backing his claims - former Buckeye Marco Cooper. But Cooper had been suspended from the team after two drug arrests, leaving his credibility open to question.
Shady System
The above is what I know.
Now here is what I think:
Too many college athletes are given jobs where they are overpaid and do little work. As long as the jobs aren't authorized by the athletic department, not much can be done about it.
It wouldn't be a shock if this type of stuff happened at Ohio State, or any other major program.
Eliminating suspicious boosters is extremely difficult for most athletic departments, so Clarett's claims of receiving money are at least believable.
Coaches shouldn't be recommending car dealerships to their players, as Tressel did for Clarett. Ohio State officials said the NCAA was aware of the situation and said it was OK - but that doesn't make it a good idea.
The Buckeyes have been a major academic upgrade under Tressel. The football team has graduated 50 percent of its players during his tenure - compared to just 16 percent under John Cooper. Also, Ohio State has led the Big Ten in all-academic selections in the last two years.
There are still too many silly courses and meaningless degrees available at too many colleges. The majority of them are set up to make it easier for athletes.
Most major college athletes don't realize how insulting it is when the rest of the student body hears them say they are "playing for nothing.'' A $60,000 scholarship and entourage of tutors ought to mean something. Almost everyone else has to work their way through school and take out loans.
No matter how you spin it, Clarett seems like an angry and troubled young man who is self-destructing and doesn't seem to know it, or care. Worse, he's running out of opportunities to be successful - as a football player and as a person.
Sam Amico can be reached at [email protected].
Saturday, January 29, 2005 ...WE'RE ON THE SAME PAGE
Time: 9:10:55 PM EST
Is It Too Late For Clarett?
By SAM AMICO
Maurice Clarett will compete in the College All-Star Football Challenge on Monday in what could be a last gasp to impress the NFL.
Is it too late for the former Ohio State running back? I can't be sure.
But here is what I do know:
Clarett trashed Ohio State in ESPN The Magazine last fall because he thought it would help his reputation in the eyes of pro scouts. Instead, it just made things worse.
Clarett lied to NCAA investigators because he said he wanted to protect Ohio State coach Jim Tressel.
"I thought he'd give me the NFL,'' Clarett said.
Clarett wasn't kept out of the NFL by Tressel or anybody else at Ohio State. He was kept out the NFL by the NFL - as Clarett lost a legal battle to enter the draft after his freshman year.
Clarett also lied to Columbus police about a break-in involving his own car.
Clarett has done nothing in the past two years. He hasn't gone to school, he hasn't played football.
Clarett sees himself as a victim. Most pro scouts see him as selfish and unmotivated.
Clarett had been given good advice by Tressel and others. It just wasn't the advice he wanted to hear.
Clarett wanted to be told that he could beat the NFL in court and become a first-round draft pick. Had he not listened, he would have completed his junior season at OSU - and most likely be drafted in the early rounds.
Clarett has a history of changing his story, and still hasn't provided a single shred of evidence to prove his charges of cushy jobs, cars, or money from boosters while at Ohio State.
Clarett had one player firmly backing his claims - former Buckeye Marco Cooper. But Cooper had been suspended from the team after two drug arrests, leaving his credibility open to question.
Shady System
The above is what I know.
Now here is what I think:
Too many college athletes are given jobs where they are overpaid and do little work. As long as the jobs aren't authorized by the athletic department, not much can be done about it.
It wouldn't be a shock if this type of stuff happened at Ohio State, or any other major program.
Eliminating suspicious boosters is extremely difficult for most athletic departments, so Clarett's claims of receiving money are at least believable.
Coaches shouldn't be recommending car dealerships to their players, as Tressel did for Clarett. Ohio State officials said the NCAA was aware of the situation and said it was OK - but that doesn't make it a good idea.
The Buckeyes have been a major academic upgrade under Tressel. The football team has graduated 50 percent of its players during his tenure - compared to just 16 percent under John Cooper. Also, Ohio State has led the Big Ten in all-academic selections in the last two years.
There are still too many silly courses and meaningless degrees available at too many colleges. The majority of them are set up to make it easier for athletes.
Most major college athletes don't realize how insulting it is when the rest of the student body hears them say they are "playing for nothing.'' A $60,000 scholarship and entourage of tutors ought to mean something. Almost everyone else has to work their way through school and take out loans.
No matter how you spin it, Clarett seems like an angry and troubled young man who is self-destructing and doesn't seem to know it, or care. Worse, he's running out of opportunities to be successful - as a football player and as a person.
Sam Amico can be reached at [email protected].