Maurice Clarett, a poster child for top athletic talents who wind up as cautionary tales has turned up in the news again, but this time not for being in handcuffs. Clarett will begin playing for the Columbus affiliate of Tiger Rugby, the rugby developmental program for selecting who will represent the United States in the 2016 Summer Olympics, according to reports.
In 2002, Clarett, then a freshman running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes, was one of the premier players in all college football. In his lone season at Ohio State, Clarett carried the rock 222 times for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 5.6 yards per rush, and even posed a threat as a pass catcher.
He racked up 12 catches for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Behind Clarett's bruising runs, the Buckeyes ended the season as 14-0 champions of college football. After 2002, the good times came to an end. He was suspended from the team in 2003 for filing a false police report that claimed $10,000 in clothing, cash and electronic equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership.
Clarett then entered the NFL Draft, challenging the league's mandate that players must be three years removed from their high school graduation to obtain eligibility. He initially won his challenge, along with then-USC wide receiver Mike Williams, but then the decision was overturned and the two players were ineligible to be drafted. On top of that, they had hired agents and could not return to the college ranks.
He was eventually drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft, but flamed out in training camp and never played in the regular season and has since been involved in a litany of serious legal transgressions. He wound up spending three and a half years in prison for drug and weapons charges before playing for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL in 2011.
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