12/21/24
September 19, 2006
Clarett Pleads Guilty, Gets 3 1/2 years: Ohio State running back could be out when he turns 26.
People can change, and for Maurice and his family's sake, I hope he does. Another mistake like this last one though, and he will be looking at a very lengthy stay inside the walls.
posted by mjkredliner at 09:18 AM on September 19, 2006
Chico; Why do we have to turn this into a "OSU Fan" bash. I am a die hard buckeye fan, and I can honestly say that as a fan this is the best thing thats happened to the program since all his mishaps started. This prison time may shape him up or it may not.But as a fan, I dont see the "Vindictiveness" from the fan base any more than there would be from any other college/pro sport fan base. Give us buckeyes a break, we are looking to put this episode in our past.
posted by oh2rooper at 09:28 AM on September 19, 2006
I am a die hard buckeye fan, and I can honestly say that as a fan this is the best thing thats happened to the program since all his mishaps started. Clarett helped your team win a national championship, then implodes. Ohio State gets no sanctions from Clarett getting benefits he should not have. Your team is number one in the polls. And, you say that Clarett going to jail for a long time is the best thing to happen to your program since all the mishaps started? Umm, yeah, I think you might be more vindictive than the average fan.
posted by bperk at 10:03 AM on September 19, 2006
I'm not "turning it" into anything, and I have nothing for or against OSU, the Buckeyes, Clarett or anyone. I didn't go to college in this country, and I don't have a dog in this fight. But even just looking through the discussions we've had here about him, you'll see a lot of rage continuing to be aimed his way. I'm not just making this up out of my own head to troll the thread. I'm sure as time has passed, the number of Buckeyes fans who have let their Clarett-hatred go will only grow. But to say that there aren't still people who spit when Clarett's name gets mentioned, even now, is disingenuous. Despite the fact that he ultimately only destroyed his own life and not that of his (very successful) team, there are evidently people who will never, ever forgive Maurice Clarett. That was my only point. Please don't take that as a personal insult.
posted by chicobangs at 10:07 AM on September 19, 2006
What I'm saying bperk, is that the jail time will allow him to get his priorities in line,(like his 8 week old daughter), Im not saying I wish him to rot in his cell. He did the crime and deserves his time is the law enforcement background in me not the vindictive fan.
posted by oh2rooper at 11:15 AM on September 19, 2006
Yeah, but you didn't say "it's the best thing that could happen to Clarett." You said, "this is the best thing thats happened to the (OSU) program." That's not law enforcement. If you think Clarett's sentence is a good thing for the OSU program, that's vindictive fan in a nutshell.
posted by BullpenPro at 11:58 AM on September 19, 2006
My only concern is individuals involved in crimes are held accountable, whether they be athletes or not. As for Clarett himself and the Buckeyes, what's to be vindictive about or bash him for? Yes, he helped the team win a national championship, but the Buckeyes played pretty well when he was missing a great deal of time with injuries, and their defense shutting down Miami was the real key to the game, not necessarily Clarett. The Buckeyes always have talent waiting in the wings, ready to take over. Having Clarett for a few more years, if his head was screwed on right, would have been great, but it was never going to happen. As for the school being issued sanctions due to him getting special benefits, get on that case with regards to NCAA sports and the entire shooting match will be shut down completely. Clarett going to jail, in my opinion, won't change him in the least. He'll get out in several years, won't be able to get a job, and will continue to break laws, in his mind, as a way to survive. It's a sad reality, but I am glad his daughter won't have to watch him as her example in life throughout her formative years.
posted by dyams at 12:05 PM on September 19, 2006
I know this has merrit, being that Clarett did end up getting drafted, but he got cut a week into training camp. Why is this man still news to sports fans?
posted by millertime at 12:13 PM on September 19, 2006
It's a sad reality, but I am glad his daughter won't have to watch him as her example in life throughout her formative years. Growing up with a dad in jail is having an example in life. The guy obviously has problems, but I have no idea how he was with his child. Being without your dad...I don't think that's ever a good thing. (if all you have to add to the thread is calling the guy 'crap' save your breath and go to another thread)
posted by justgary at 02:24 PM on September 19, 2006
Very well put JustGary. Her not having her father will hurt her far more than it will help. I know people who have attained Degrees in jail, and have gone on to become very successful individuals. Sure Clarett hasn't been a model citizen, but sometimes people talk about this guy as if he were a kiddie porn producing member of the taliban.
posted by Bishop at 03:47 PM on September 19, 2006
Growing up with a dad in jail is having an example in life. I have a niece and nephew who's father has been in prison since they were both very young, around the same age as Clarett's daughter. Both have never known him, and they don't go to prison to visit him. Their mother has decided to get the guy out of her life (he's doing time for armed robbery), and they have plenty of good, appropriate role models in other male family members involved with them. Is it the same as having a father who's around all the time? No. But just like Clarett, the odds of the guy going about life in a legit manner is a real longshot for the guy. She doesn't have to be exposed to the idea that breaking laws, hustling, and ripping other people off, all while being high, in many cases, is how life is supposed to be led. Just depositing sperm into a woman doesn't make someone a father. Hopefully Clarett's daughter will be surrounded by law-abiding, hard-working individuals who will instill the proper values in her from the start. Yeah, maybe Maurice was good to her when he was around, but don't think other kids won't be letting her know, in a few years, what they feel her dad is all about. It's a tough way for any kid to have to start life. Her not having her father will hurt her far more than it will help. Her not having an appropriate father around will hurt her. There are, however, many single parents who do a fantastic job raising terrific kids.
posted by dyams at 06:20 PM on September 19, 2006
...kiddie porn producing member of the taliban Hilarious...may I use that sometime Bishop and where can I see your stand up act?
posted by urall cloolis at 07:08 PM on September 19, 2006
My hope is that the Ohio prison system has programming that will help Clarett learn how to make better decisions (his entire way of thinking needs to change) so that he can come out of prison and succeed. What a great turnaround story this guy could be.
posted by judgedread at 09:30 PM on September 19, 2006
and their defense shutting down Miami ?? What was the score in that game?
posted by LaKeR4LiFe at 06:53 PM on September 20, 2006
What was the score in that game? The score's not the point. Miami (until the last year or so) always put out the absolute most awsome array of talent (on both sides of the ball), and the Buckeyes stopping them at all, especially in that incredibly exciting overtime, was plenty of "shutting down" for me.
posted by dyams at 08:04 PM on September 20, 2006
Yeah, and Willis McGahee's knee exploding into tiny little pieces had nothing to do with the OSU defensive performance. McGahee's knee doesn't get destroyed, he plays the remainder of the fourth quarter and the overtime, and you might be singing a different tune. 31-24 is hardly a defensive struggle. Sure, your boys won, congrats on the National Championship, but let's not get crazy. As with most athletic endeavors, somebody else's shit luck was your good luck, and you'd be wise to acknowledge that.
posted by The_Black_Hand at 06:30 AM on September 21, 2006
clarett is a questionable person I hope he turn his life around if possible make a big turnaround back to football if not just a civilized citizen and we all could just stop hearing about him or hear other ppl bashing him
posted by defrag3x at 11:51 AM on September 22, 2006
There's a part of me that sees this story and thinks: Okay, he's been punished enough. Let him serve his time, learn a thing or two about where he really belongs in the order of the world, and let the sports world forget about him so he can start his adult life again. I do understand, of course, that whenever he gets paroled in 3 1/2 or 7 or whatever years from now, there will still be OSU fans at the gate with angry signs and rotten tomatoes. And that endless vindictiveness will baffle me then no less than it does now, almost 4 full years after his last game in college.