Columbus, Ohio – It has almost become a rite of fall at Ohio State. Every preseason, the Buckeyes gather to answer questions about their chances in the Big Ten, their next linebacker star – and the latest incident involving Maurice Clarett.
Thursday was no different, and Ohio State’s media day could not have had better timing. Early Wednesday morning the tailback who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national title as a freshman was arrested again and sits in jail in lieu of a $5 million bond.
“To say I’m just disappointed doesn’t tell it,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “I was disappointed I didn’t get a chance to connect with him.”
Tressel said he and Clarett played phone tag in the days leading up to his arrest for carrying a concealed weapon, which is only the tip of an ever-growing iceberg on which he now appears stranded. A minor traffic violation at 2:40 a.m. in Columbus led to a highway chase that forced police to drop spikes to flatten the tires of his SUV.
Clarett refused to get out of his car, but a stun gun had no effect on him because he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Officers finally used pepper spray and handcuffed him. In his car, police found a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson, an AK-47 assault rifle, a .380-caliber handgun, a .25-caliber handgun and a two-thirds empty bottle of vodka.
He was arrested near the home of a woman who was one of two people who accused him of robbing them at gunpoint in January. That arrest came five days after the premature birth of his daughter, Jaden, by his girlfriend Marie.
“Maurice is a kid who, I don’t know if I want to say I enjoyed the time because some of the time was hard, but I appreciated my time with him,” Tressel said. “I’m compelled to try to make a difference. By not connecting, I lost one more chance to maybe make a difference.”
Clarett has had a contemptuous relationship with Ohio State ever since the school suspended him for the 2003 season. The discipline came after the NCAA said it would investigate reports that he had $10,000 stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership.
Since then, he unsuccessfully sued the NFL for early entry and washed out of the Broncos’ camp last year as a third-round draft choice. Now 22, Clarett was scheduled to play for the Mahoning Valley HitMen, an Eastern Indoor Football League team in Youngstown, Ohio, his hometown.
Clarett faces 26 years in prison, a mandatory six on the weapon charge if convicted.
“It’s a sad case,” Buckeyes senior linebacker John Kerr said. “I just feel horrible for the guy. He had everything it took to get to the NFL but unfortunately went down the wrong road. And I don’t care how much talent you have, if you go down the wrong road, you’re done.”
Added senior quarterback Troy Smith, who was in the 2002 recruiting class with Clarett: “It was a shock at first to see his name. Don’t get me wrong. The situation that came up was a sad one and there’s nothing that we can do to affect what’s going on. Every man chooses his own path.
“I just hope he’s all right.”
John Henderson can be reached at 303-820-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
