Maurice Clarett confirms what we all already knew about Ohio State

Submitted by Benoit Balls on

There is an article on Deadspin today about a new book entitled4th and Goal:One Man's quest to capture his dream written by Forbes writer Monte Burke. The subject of the book is Joe Moglia, former CEO of TD Ameritrade who gave up his lofty position to become a football coach for the Omaha Nighthawks.

The excerpt included on Deadspin is centered around Clarett, and his path through life (including high school, his time as a student at Ohio State in Columbus, and the crazy turns his life took afterwards. It is quite a tale, and interesting, even without the Buckeye schadenfreude.

The money shot (at least for me) was this gem:

He was a hard worker in practice and in games. But off the field, he was living a completely different life. "I took golf, fishing, and softball as classes," Clarett says. "Away from class, anything you can think of I did in my 13 months at Ohio State." Drugs and women were two of the things. Cars were another—he owned three of them at a time, including a brand-new Cadillac and Lexus. "I was living the NFL life in college," he says. "I got paid more in college than I do now in the UFL.

Here is the link, for anyone who is interested:

http://deadspin.com/5967649/how-maurice-clarett-lost-his-way-bombed-out…

Mr. Yost

December 13th, 2012 at 11:00 AM ^

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016173/index.htm

Katz was at Ohio back when I lived in Columbus, I knew quite a few people that took Golf Appreciation with him.

Only for them, it was a fun senior year...I've done my work course. For him it was a keep me eligible, I'm never going to graduate so let me take 5 years of electives in 3 so I can get out of your hair and on to the NFL course.

Louie C

December 13th, 2012 at 12:43 PM ^

Not only did you study engineering, but you did so at Michigan; two things you should ( and I am pretty sure you are) be very proud of. We all see how his college "education" has served him. If anybody should be jealous here it is me. I secretely harbor a little bit of it towards all of the UM grads and alumi on here. Not in the perceived Spary sense mind you, but in the fact that I wish I could say that I am a UM grad/student. It's one thing to be a fan of UM and a supporter of the university, but to say you walked the Diag, or partied at Rick's and had a Bllimpy burger the morning after, and most importanly, possess a UM degree is just a whole different experience.

Naked Bootlegger

December 13th, 2012 at 3:27 PM ^

Jealous because my golf game *really* suffered while at UM because I had no time to golf.   A golf phys ed course would have been a great excuse to keep my game sharp!   I attended grad school at an ACC university, and I was jealous when I found out that undergrads were required to take phys ed.    Stupid, petty jealously.

I, of course, am completely happy to not be in Maurice's current situation thanks in part to my UM degree.

Mr. Yost

December 13th, 2012 at 11:07 AM ^

He's a felon, no one believes him. He's made too many mistakes to be taken seriously or to be a credible source in the eyes of many.

And yes, everyone in Ohio hates him. They love Tressel, he's the one who got that NC ring, not Clarett.

Ohio will never get in trouble, but we knew it was going on...we also knew nothing was going to happen.

You think Troy Smith wasn't getting anything? Mr. Pryor? I've seen with my own eyes Terrelle Pryor (on an unofficial visit during a dead period) taken from his seats at a Ohio Basketball game and taken on a Facility Tour during the game. Guess who else happened to be on that tour? Mr. Tressel. Sure they "bumped" into each other and talked in the hallway for 30 minutes before TP found his way back to those seats that he paid for on his unofficial.

Clarett's cars were incredible though - that guy didn't even TRY to hide it. I felt like TP did, but he was just too flashy of a personality to do it. Couldn't help himself. But Mo was the OG of that Tressel era - its a shame that the whole state dumped on him while they hail the old man as a scarlet and grey pope.

Seth

December 13th, 2012 at 11:54 AM ^

Because Clarett lost his case against the NFL and had to wait a year to get drafted, got way out of shape, and had an awful combine. At that point his agent (who wrote a book about how he was paying college players but didn't have Maurice until later) got Clarett to recant everything he had said about Ohio State as part of a general whitewashing of his image. It worked--he got drafted despite being utterly useless to the NFL. And that as far as the NCAA was concerned was enough to not investigate.

Yes the statute of litations for anything that went on in 2002 is now up. If it was a real legal case it was obviously an ongoing conspiracy, but NCAA doesn't work that way--if the school won't admit guilt and accept sanctions they seldom do much, a few notable examples nonwithstanding.

B1G_Fan

December 13th, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^

 He was interviewed when the NCAA did their investigation in columbus. At that time he said nothing was going on. The guy has changed his story almost on a weekly basis and this just screams I need money buy my book.

Dreisbach1817

December 13th, 2012 at 10:56 AM ^

Dear Mitch, if you're holding this letter you already know. The house has been boarded up. The doors. The windows. Everything. We're at the Comfort Inn. Room 112. I love you. Frank

93Grad

December 13th, 2012 at 10:57 AM ^

will feel the slighest bit bad about any of that.  They truly are a win at all costs institution and that credo permeates the entire sick lot of them starting at the top with Gee, Smith and now Meyer.

 

Its disgusting and no one seems to care.    

Benoit Balls

December 13th, 2012 at 11:04 AM ^

to Facebook, and within 5 minutes I got replies from 4 Buckeye fans who said the only reasn I posted it was because I was mad they beat Michigan this year, or that it doesn't matter because it was so long ago, or some other reply intimating that I was simply jealous or whatever.

I thought about asking them if they really wanted their kids to idolize such a place and what that would ultimately teach their children about their parents and life in general, then I decided I didnt want this to take over my day, and I just took it down.

Like my sig line used to say, "Never argue with a fool. People may not know the difference"

Benoit Balls

December 13th, 2012 at 11:24 AM ^

My family moved me from Ferndale to the East SIde of Cleveland in 1978. Much of my childhood was spent running from older kids before I got on the bus after school, because they wanted to beat me for wearing Michigan gear (my sarcastic personality probably helped as well). And that was only in Cleveland.

I live outside of Columbus now, and I've had grown men shout out to me in a parking lot "Michigan sucks!". This is while they are walking into Target with their kids, as I am walking out with mine. 

I haved lived amongst Ohio fans most of my life. When they ask me how I can be a Michigan fan since I live in Ohio, I wish I had a video to replay for them of me hiding in the bathroom as a ten year old because the 7th graders have threatened to gang up on me on the way out to the buses.

club2230

December 13th, 2012 at 3:18 PM ^

I've lived in the Cleveland area for four and a half years now and I've had absolutely zero issues.  I overheard one OSU fan in a bar talking that he would rather beat an undefeated UofM team.  I am not 6'-2' and 250 and have no problem wearing my gear.  Cleveland is a Browns city before and OSU one.

Benoit Balls

December 13th, 2012 at 3:29 PM ^

and thanks to my Grandfather (who had Browns season tickets from 1946-1985), I am one of the downtrodden masses who has had to deal with Art Modell and Randy Lerner.  I know the Fords haven't been much better for Lions fans, but I feel confident in saying Art Modell might very well have been the worst owner in the NFl's history.

TruBlue15

December 13th, 2012 at 10:59 AM ^

I do apologize if this had already been covered, but was Clarett ever brought in and interviewed during the initial investigation, and if not is there enough smoke with these comments to open as second, separate investigation?

Benoit Balls

December 13th, 2012 at 11:03 AM ^

They wanted Clarett to talk, and for a while it appeared as though he may. Ultimately though, he was re-accepted into the fold at OSU (I think he even tried to take some more classes there), and he never gave the NCAA anything.

And since it was 10 years ago, I doubt it would matter anyway. Come to think of it, since this is the NCAA we are talking about, it could have been 10 minutes ago and it wouldn't matter.

WolverineHistorian

December 13th, 2012 at 11:12 AM ^

Ten years ago, OSU nation would have denied those quotes and called them flat out lies (which they did.)

Today, they acknowledge that cheating and ask,"so what? Yeah, we break the rules, but rules are stupid so we shouldn't be punished. We cheat but we still beat you."

Seriously, fuck OSU.

Danwillhor

December 14th, 2012 at 12:05 AM ^

They were essentially an SEC North team in regard to how they operate for a long time. Sadly, will likely get worse the more pressure urb has to never lose in a mediocre conference. He will blossom into who he is: A guy with an ego too big to take losing. That will (has in some ways) have him pushing the envelope soon. Also, remember that being said and also took notice and thought the same.

Danwillhor

December 13th, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^

Sadly, wrong. I'm sure some do but even after the violations and sanctions almost all osu fans on the major sites/blogs believe MoC was lying THEN and believe his claim of such when he learned he could get back into the osu family if he said as much. So much denial of obvious cheating that it angers me more that the school, alums, students and fans don't see it or acknowledge it than the cheating itself. Those osu fans (about 80%) are just amazingly capable of denial, pick and choosing storied to believe and especially willing ignorance. THAT, more than anything, makes me hate anything associated with that school.

His Dudeness

December 13th, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^

And their punishment was an upgrade at coach and a one year bowl ban. Oh and the easiest possible division to win of all the BCS conferences. I for one am shocked attendance is down. The sport really has its priorities in line from what I can see.