The Continuing Story of Maurice Clarett
2002: After a fantastic high school career that lands him on the top of recruiting lists, Maurice Clarett is a young college football star at Ohio State, leading them to a national championship with one of the best freshman seasons in history. Clarett is heralded as an incredible talent, and comparisons with Hall of Famers already occasionally pop up.
2003: Clarett runs into trouble with the law after his freshman season, falsifying a police report in a scheme to steal $10,000. He is suspended by the team, drops out of school, and moves to Los Angeles where he becomes a regular in the hip hop club scene and gains 30 pounds.
2004: The NFL has a rule that players must wait 3 years after graduating high school to declare for the annual draft of players. Clarett sues the league over this rule and enters the draft anyway. His attorney is his close friend (and one-time roommate), David Kenner, who also represents gangsta rap icon Suge Knight.
Most legal analysts expect Clarett to win the case because it appears to violate federal labor laws, but the court ruled for the NFL because collective bargaining agreements can supercede even federal labor law. The NCAA subsequently bans Clarett from playing for any college football teams for his attempt to enter the draft.
July, 2005: Clarett shows up at the draft. By now, it had been three years since his high school graduation, so he is eligible. Howver, Clarett is overweight and performs very poorly in the pre-draft workouts. He is drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos and signs an unusual contract: instead of taking an offer of $413,000 of guaranteed money to protect Clarett in case he is cut from the team, David Kenner advises Clarett to sign a contract which will include no guaranteed money, but will include a huge bonus of millions of dollars if Clarett has an outstanding rookie season.
August, 2005: Clarett’s play is so unimpressive after two years out of football that he is released about a month after signing his contract. He doesn’t play in a single NFL game and gets none of the money from his contract. No other teams pursue Clarett.
January, 2006: Police announce they are looking for Clarett in connection with an attempted armed robbery outside a nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. Clarett allegedly held up several people at gunpoint and drove off in an SUV. He turns himself in a day later.
February, 2006: Clarett is indicted on seven counts totalling 25 years in prison. He pleads not guilty.
July, 2006: Two weeks before his trial, Clarett fires his attorneys after they file motions to withdraw counsel, claiming Clarett hasn’t paid them or cooperated in the proceedings.
August, 2006: Clarett makes an illegal u-turn in an SUV which leads to a high speed chase that ends when Clarett drives over a spike strip. Officers use mace to subdue Clarett when Tasers are unable to penetrate Clarett’s Kevlar body armor. Inside the SUV, the police find a loaded AK-47, two loaded handguns, an open bottle of vodka, and a katana.
September, 2006: Clarett changes his plea to guilty on all counts, including the earlier robbery charges, and is sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
December, 2006: Clarett is sent to a close-security prison where he occupies a single-person cell and is not allowed regular contact with other inmates. He eats and exercises alone.
Today: Maurice Clarett is blogging daily at The Mind of Maurice Clarett. His posts are way, way different than what you might expect.
