When Maurice Clarett was a freshman at The Ohio State University, I was in my last semester at the University. I tell this story often, but at the time Clarett was a bigger star in the state of Ohio than Lebron James.
Everyone knew that even though he has immense talent (he had a feel for the running back position like Emmitt Smith), he was battling a lot of demons.
People always covered up for Clarett, so he never thought he was doing anything wrong. When Clarett wasn’t useful anymore people just discarded him like used paper bag. Clarett has never publicly thrown Ohio State under the bus, he has been loyal to a program that wasn’t very loyal to him. In this Deadspin feature about a book coming out called 4th and Goal: One Man’s Quest to Recapture His Dream and excerpt is given showing Clarett coming clean about his past to his UFL teammates and how he was able to stabilize his future.
Here are some of the bullet points.
- Clarrett was arrested multiple times before he was 14 years. With the most serious charge being breaking and entering.
- While robbing a house in 8th grade he jumped out of a 2nd story window hit his head and had to get 13 stitches that is why he wore the number 13.
- Clarrett rarely went to class in HS, but he still got passing grades because he was such a good football player.
- Some of the classes he took at Ohio State included Golf, Fishing and Softball.
- Clarrett had a Lexus and Cadillac at Ohio State and didn’t pay for either.
- Clarrett says he made more money at Ohio State than he did playing in the UFL.
- After being suspended by NCAA and losing his Supreme Court case to enter NFL Draft he would ride around with pounds of weed and Bricks of Cocaine.
- Even after being drafted by Broncos Clarrett was still doing drugs, partying and drinking every night.
- After being cut by Broncos, he was popping pills and robbed a man at gunpoint for $150 and a cell phone.
- When the man Clarett robbed wouldn’t take money to drop the charges he plotted to kill him. He was on the way to the man’s home with loaded assault rifle, three handguns and Kevlar body armor on. He missed the exit to the man’s home and while making an illegal U-Turn was pulled over by police. The illegal U-Turn might have saved the man’s life.
- After being sentence to 7 1/2 years in prison Clarett finally cleaned up his act and was released for good behavior.
Here is the last thing Clarett said to his teammates before stepping off the podium.
“I don’t want people to say ‘Don’t be like Maurice Clarett,'” he says. “In fact, I want the opposite. I want people to see me now and say they want to be like me. And I’m working every day to earn that.”