Maurice Clarett Drop from the Peak and Rising Again in OSU

Maurice Clarett

Maurice Clarett is best known for his meteoric rise as a freshman football player in Ohio State University (OSU) during the athletic year 2002. He garnered a lot of awards and even led OSU Buckeyes unbeaten during the 2002 national championship.

What seemed to be a promising career turned ugly as barely a year later Maurice was seen shouting at his coach and displaying rude behavior. Misdemeanor upon misdemeanor piled among which getting embroiled in an academic scandal with a professor though not enough evidence was found. The straw that broke the camel’s back came when Maurice filed a false police report and obtaining a significant amount of dollars in special benefits while baffling investigators. Ohio State University finally dismissed Maurice in 2003.

Life after OSU was equally turbulent for the once lauded football player; in 2004 he challenged the National Football League’s rule regarding the three (3) year wait after graduating High School before getting drafted. Judge Shira Scheindlin allowed Clarrett to participate in the 2004 NFL Draft until it was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals by Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

In 2005 Maurice Clarrett was drafted into the Denver Broncos. Although Maurice performed poorly during training camp he was still offered a contract. Denver Broncos released Maurice one month after signing when he failed to perform on the field. Maurice was arrested in 2006 after being found in his car with a katana, a loaded gun and liquor and Maurice himself was wearing a Kevlar vest.

The website “The Mind of Maurice Clarett” http://mauriceclarett.wordpress.com/ has then chronicled his life in jail where viewers could see his remorse over his actions. Though he didn’t have any net connection in jail, he frequently wrote letters and his family posted for him.

July 26, 2010, Ohio State University accepted Maurice Clarrett’s enrolment and he recently answered skeptics and critics unasked question of his return. “This is a surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State in such a supportive environment. I have looked forward to being back in school and I’m doing my best to fit in with other students.  I don’t want to be a distraction or nuisance to the football team or to students on campus.”