No Reinstatement For The Draft
Few people could have been more forlorn than Maurice Clarett last weekend. He’s the Ohio State running back that challenged the NFL/NFL Players Association agreement that players have to be three years beyond high school graduation in order to be eligible for the draft. He had received a favorable ruling, had hired an agent, left school and participated in combines and drills in preparation for this year’s draft, but was thwarted by a US District court a couple weeks before last weekend’s draft. A last-minute appeal heard by Ruth Bader Ginsburg (try getting that kind of action for something important) was denied, and Maurice was left with nothing to do over the weekend except watch as a record 14 of his Ohio State teammates were drafted.
I personally think that players should be able to go pro any time they feel they’re ready. I have trouble understanding OSU alums that somehow feel personally insulted that Maurice wants to flee the hallowed halls with such alacrity. That said, I don’t feel too sorry for Maurice. It took a major effort on his part to screw up the situation he had at Ohio State, where he had an injury-prone freshman year with flashes of brilliance, then got suspended for his sophomore year for taking money from a guy from his hometown with possible gambling connections, and for lying to police about the value of goods stolen from a car that a local dealer had “loaned” him. He had an opportunity for a breakout sophomore season, erasing (or confirming) doubts about his brittleness, perhaps playing for another national championship and perhaps winning the Heisman.
But, if he was simply finished with the College Joe scene, he should have been able to enter the draft without restriction, and taken on his merits. I felt for him a little bit as the rounds trickled by.
