Just when things couldn’t get worse for Ohio State, they did.
Former Buckeye Maurice Clarett told ESPN The Magazine that he was receiving improper benefits from The Ohio State.
Oh how The mighty have fallen.
The Buckeyes aren’t ranked in the top 25.
They lost three games in a row for the first time in quite a long time, including a loss to, oh I can barely say this … Northwestern.
Now allegations are being thrown at them that they are violating a cornucopia of NCAA rules.
The former Ohio State running back, who led them to a national title during the 2002 season, claims head coach Jim Tressel along with other people within the program and boosters set him up with fake jobs and fast cars.
Clarett claims he was paid quite handsomely for landscaping jobs that he wouldn’t even show up for.
He said boosters “made sure your
money’s straight.”
Clarett said boosters would give him thousands of dollars and the better he performed, the more money boosters would give him.
He continued on, saying that the program arranged for him to be with an academic
adviser whose sole purpose was to ensure he was eligible to play football. Clarett says he was enrolled in independent study courses and was handpicked professors who would pass him whether he attended classes or not.
The New York Times quoted a teaching assistant at Ohio State saying Clarett received “preferential treatment,” and that he walked out of a midterm exam and still passed the class after a professor gave him an oral exam.
Tressel is also accused by Clarett of setting him up with loaner cars.
But let’s all remember this is a guy who was kicked off the team for potential
academic and “financial irregularities” and vowed his revenge against the Buckeyes.
Is this his revenge or is he trying to do the right thing?
Who knows, but nobody from Ohio State is saying anything.
Clarett isn’t the only one stepping up and accusing Ohio State of illegal actions. Former linebacker Marco Cooper, who played for the Buckeyes before also being suspended after two arrests of drug possession, claimed he also had fake landscaping jobs, boosters helped furnish his apartment and that he
borrowed cars from dealers in exchange for signed Buckeye memorabilia, according to ESPN The Magazine.
Maryland running back Sammy Maldonado, who transferred from Ohio State, said that advisers placed him in so many bogus classes that only 17 of his 40 credits transferred to Maryland.
He wasn’t forced out of the school.
Ohio State officials haven’t said anything about the allegations, but Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger told ESPN The
Magazine that people should check out Clarett’s background before and
understand what kind of person he is.
Clarett said when he said he
denied these allegations in the past, he was protecting his coach and his teammates from suspensions.
This is coming from a guy who
said he had $10,000 worth of clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment stolen from his 2001 Chevrolet Monte Carlo when in fact the car was borrowed,
the equipment was the dealer’s and Clarett had overestimated the cost
of the equipment. The charge against him had a maximum penalty of $1,000 and six months in jail for lying on a
police report.
He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge — failure to aid a law
enforcement officer — and paid the maximum fine of $100 on the charge, received no jail time and it doesn’t appear on his record.
He blew off a meeting with NFL Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen his high school football coach set up for him.
Clarett’s past is foggy and for him to say he wants to “clear his name” with the NFL owners and general managers is nothing more than self preservation.
This is a selfish act because this
is a guy who hasn’t played in a
football game in almost two years. Many people are saying Clarett could drop to the fourth or fifth round depending on how well he works out for NFL teams.
He even admits that “NFL GMs know college players take money,” but to me this sounds like a kid trying to exact revenge on a university that gave him an opportunity to shine.
Ohio State could’ve been a great place for Clarett if he had dedicated himself to school and athletics.
Granted, if he was offered these chances to get easy money and easy grades, it would be hard for any 18-to-20-year-old to pass it up.
The Buckeyes are being dragged through the mud on top of their
sub-par season, but it’s their own fault.
There had to be an inkling
somewhere that Clarett had problems before he came to the Buckeyes. If so, they were ignored.
If Ohio State did participate in these illegal activities, it should be severely punished for its actions.
No college should jeopardize any student’s future.
The Ohio State should know better.

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