Former Warren G. Harding High School and Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett has withdrawn a request for early release from prison that he said would allow him to pursue an NFL career. Prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Culp said Wednesday that a letter from Clarett explaining his decision arrived at the Ohio Parole Board on Monday.
Clarett had argued that the sooner he was released, the sooner he could make a comeback, possibly in the NFL. Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien objected, saying the former Buckeyes standout hadn't made a strong case to be released so early in his prison term.
Clarett was sentenced in September 2006 to serve at least 3 1/2 years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar and a separate highway chase earlier that year. He could still be out as early as March.
The history of Maurice Clarett:
After displaying his abilities as a freshman tailback on the Austintown-Fitch Varsity team, Clarett transferred to Warren G. Harding High School to continue his education and to play football for a bigger team. He gained national attention while at the school.
Clarett was ranked among the top 100 players nationally when he graduated from Harding. He received an offer from Ohio State Universityand signed with the Buckeyes in February 2002. In the meantime, Clarett was named the USA Today high-school player of the year and was given Parade All American distinctions.
Clarett starred at Ohio State for one season, breaking the school rushing record for a freshman with 1,237 yards. He scored 18 touchdowns, which helped the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and the 2002 BCS National Championship. He scored the winning touchdown in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl with a five-yard run in the second overtime to help beat the University of Miami.
Clarett's time at Ohio State University was marked by trouble. Ohio State suspended Clarett for the 2003 athletic year after he was charged with filing a false police report. Clarett had filed a false claim that more than $10,000 in possessions were stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership in September 2003. He repeatedly misled investigators and later pleaded guilty to failure to aid a law enforcement official in that incident.
After his dismissal from Ohio State, Clarett challenged the NFL's rule that a player must wait 3 years after graduating from high school to declare for the draft. He lost that suit in court. Meanwhile, he started preparing for the 2005 NFL Combine.
In February 2005, he participated in the NFL Combine. After running for a disappointing 4.72 and 4.82 seconds in the 40 yard dash, he refused to participate further.
In a widely unexpected move, Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round (#101 overall) by the Denver Broncos. Many doubted whether or not he'd be drafted at all. Despite his unimpressive training camp, Clarett was offered a four-year contract with the Broncos.
After further disappointments and incidents with his coaches, Clarett was released on waivers in August of 2005, only a month after signing his contract and before he played a single down in the NFL. No other teams expressed an interest in picking him up.
Clarett's downward spiral continued. On January 1, 2006, police announced that they were searching for Clarett in relation to two incidents of armed robbery that took place outside a dance club in Columbus. Allegedly, Clarett robbed two people at gun point and then escaped in a white SUV. He turned himself in the next day and was later released on bond.
In August, while waiting for his trial to begin, Clarett was arrested in Columbus after he made an illegal U-turn and led the police on a chase in a sports utility vehicle reportedly belonging to his uncle. Clarett filed a guilty plea to the charges in a plea bargain that involved these events as well as the earlier robbery charges. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
On Monday, Clarett wrote on his blog, The Mind of Maurice Clarett: I’m a man and I struggle. I’m not speaking of anything specific. I’m just talking in general. Depression comes and depression goes. Inspiring thoughts come and they flee as fast as they come. Sometimes my spirit is in balance and at others it runs wild. I’m not afraid. I just get a little confused at times. I know which way is up and I know how to identify a weasel from a mile away. I know who I love and I know why I love them. I don’t claim to be omniscient but I do claim to be a survivor of the urban circumstances and experiences. Sometimes I think I’ve cheated or dodged my fate. Old thoughts often tackle my emotions and leave me paralyzed momentarily. Does anyone know what it feels like to be stuck mentally for days on end? Depressing thoughts are the invisible weight we all hate to carry but at times is inevitable. Above all, I shall continue to cruise along on this dry land doing whatever my heart desires. My effort in anything I’ve ever done has never been in question. It has just been my aim. I personally believe that I’ve been aiming too low. A body and mind full of endless possibilities that I cannot and will not waste it back here. I’m Youngstown’s own.
