A long, strange trip
A look at the roller-coaster career of running back Maurice Clarett, the Broncos’ third of three third-round picks in the NFL draft:
2001
January: Commits to play college football at Ohio State.
Fall: Finishes his prep career at Warren G. Harding High School in Youngstown, Ohio, with 4,675 total yards of offense and 65 touchdowns. Named USA Today’s offensive player of the year.
2002
January: Begins classes at Ohio State after graduating early from high school.
Aug. 20, 2002: He’s listed as starting running back, the first time a true freshman has opened as the starter at the position for Ohio State since 1943.
October 2002: Misses two games with an injured left shoulder. Says he has received hate mail from Ohio State fans because of an ESPN The Magazine article earlier in the month in which he said he was considering leaving college early for the NFL. The magazine also features a picture of Clarett tossing aside his Ohio State jersey.
Nov. 23: Rushes for 119 yards on 20 carries, scores on a 2-yard run and sets up the other Buckeyes touchdown with a 26-yard pass reception in a 14-9 win over Michigan. The win propels the Buckeyes into a Fiesta Bowl showdown with Miami for the national championship.
Dec. 30: Blasts Ohio State officials for not allowing him to fly home to Youngstown to attend the funeral of a friend.
Dec. 31: Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger says Clarett didn’t file the necessary paperwork for emergency financial aid for the flight. But Clarett says he did and accuses administrators of lying.
2003
Jan. 3: Dives into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown, providing the winning score in a 31-24 double-overtime victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to give Ohio State its first national title in 34 years. Clarett finishes his freshman season with 1,237 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.
July 12: The New York Times quotes a teaching assistant at Ohio State who says Clarett received “preferential treatment.” The teacher claims Clarett walked out of a midterm exam but ended up passing the class after the professor gave him an oral exam.
July 29: Ohio State confirms a report the NCAA is investigating Clarett’s claim that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen in April from a 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo that Clarett had borrowed from a local dealership.
Sept. 9: Clarett is charged with misdemeanor falsification for the police report on the theft.
Sept. 10: Geiger announces Clarett is suspended for the season. Geiger says Clarett received special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend and repeatedly misled investigators.
Sept. 23: Clarett sues the NFL, challenging the rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft. Dec. 17: Ohio State says university committee finds no evidence to support allegations of academic misconduct by athletes, including Clarett.
2004
Jan. 14: Clarett pleads guilty in Franklin County Municipal Court to failure to aid a law enforcement officer, a lesser charge than lying on a police report. He’s ordered to pay a fine of $100. Clarett serves no jail time and his charges won’t appear on a criminal record.
Feb. 5, 2004: U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin rules Clarett is eligible for the 2004 NFL draft.
March 30, 2004: A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agrees to hear oral arguments in the case.
April 19, 2004: The federal appeals court freezes the lower-court ruling.
April 20, 2004: Clarett files an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to stay the appeals court ruling preventing Clarett from entering the draft. Clarett loses the appeal and is not allowed to enter the draft.
2005
February: Clarett participates at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, but after running disappointing 4.82-second and 4.72-second times in the 40-yard dash, he quits the rest of the drills.
March 31: At a private workout, Clarett runs the 40 in 4.67 and 4.69 seconds.
April 23: The Broncos select Clarett with the final pick of the third round of the NFL Draft. He is the 101st player selected.
– Patrick Saunders
Source: The Associated Press
