Ex-OSU stars tell it like it is.

[SanClementeBuck]

Bless MC with all of his talent and apparent poor choices. Bless his lawyers for encouraging his ambitions, look'n for fresh dollas. Bless Mo's injury-prone body for helping the Bucks to the NC. Bless Mo's Mom for trying to get Mo what she and Mo think he deserves. Bless Geiger for calling Mo on his egregious behavior and bad choices and taking himself to a place "above the TEAM." Bless JTressel for play'n up to MC in 2002...try'n to keep everyone happy on the way to NC.


"Bless 'em all, bless 'em all, the long and the short and the tall"

This whole soap opera will be over soon. The sun will shine again, trees will blossom, MC will age as we all do, and hopefully, the Browns will return to winning championships. (I can dream, can't l?)

 

[Naplesbuckeye]

I bet a lot of former Buckeyes are angry as are current Pros and non-OSU pros. I don't believe that someone should be denied a chance to earn a living but I can also see their side that the NFL collective bargaining agreement shouldn't be trivialized by some crybaby ass. All of the guys in the NFL had to wait the three years and many of them never panned out. I think that they both realized what Clarett lost by not staying at OSU. A possible Heisman, All American honors and a first round pick. I think that they are speaking from disappointment but then anger as Clarett and his camp make it seem that anyone can break the rules and act as a rogue individual. In their eyes like many of ours, this is unacceptable.



I was happy to read what Cousineau said as well. No one player is above OSU, and it also helps the longevity of the college game as the ruling stands. He is supporting his feelings by saying that he was happy when the decision came down; I was happy as well. His comments are comming after the Irrizarry thing which also helps to shine all incidents in a collective light. This stupidity and these lessons will be felt by these young men for the rest of their lives. He is reinforcing a believe system that was alive with Woody and engrained in the players minds, just as it is with Tressel and the team today. This has to be the mindset for now and the future.

 

[lvbuckeye]

"He did it to himself, so he doesn’t have to look far for someone to blame," Cousineau said. "What it showed was that one kid is never bigger than the program at Ohio State. They had a pretty darn good year without him."

yup.!

 

[Nixon]

I'm sure they base some of their decision on a player's maturity. If he isn't mature enough to play in the NFL then so be it. I agree with the ruling to keep him out. His immaturity got him in trouble at OSU and that is what has put him between a rock and a hard place.

The decision, legally, is not whether Maurice Clarett in particular should be eligible for the draft; it is whether or not players who haven't been out of HS for 3 years should be eligible. If the law does not support that ruling, then that's great. But it shouldn't have anything to do with Maurice Clarett's personality or even his football skills.

 

[buckiprof]

Major kudos to Cousineau for telling it like it is, in particular, that "one kid is never bigger than the program at Ohio State."

As for the ruling and MoC's maturity (lack thereof), Nixon is completely correct. The scUM educated judge who ruled in favor wasn't making a ruling on MoC. It was on the 3-year rule. That is why, in response to the ruling, the NFL extended the deadline for declaring for the draft. These judges will not care about MoC's level of maturity when ruling on an anti-trust case.

 

[osugrad21]

Prof & Nix, I just completed a research paper for grad school on Clarett's case . The Appeals Court actually laughed at the notion of the NFL's claim towards lack of physical maturity by pointing out the sizes of Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders who both survived the NFL pounding with small statures. The true question in the case lies in the Collective Bargaining Agreement...the 3 year Rule is not explicitly discussed in the text of the agreement. However, the court ruled that its implied agreement by both sides constituted a legally binding agreement. Also, the court precedence shows that previous judgements have not interfered with collective bargaining agreements and have shown a tendancy to protect the best interests of the game itself.

 

[ohiobuck94]

The true question in the case lies in the Collective Bargaining Agreement...the 3 year Rule is not explicitly discussed in the text of the agreement. However, the court ruled that its implied agreement by both sides constituted a legally binding agreement. Also, the court precedence shows that previous judgements have not interfered with collective bargaining agreements and have shown a tendancy to protect the best interests of the game itself.

Here is my take:
A part of the 3 year rule is about the maturity of a player. Kids who are less than 3 years out of school lack the physical, mental and emotional maturity to play in the NFL. Some are looking only at a player's physical maturity. Clarett and others may have the physical maturity, however they lack the mental and emotional maturity to play in the NFL; thus the 3 year rule. IMO, Clarett's immature behaviors due to his age and length of time out of high school gives the NFL and the NFL Players' Union collective bargaining agreement some of the foudation needed for the 3 year rule. On the other hand, a more mature player with less than 3 years out of school shows that the physical, emotional and mental maturity of players does not apply to a whole population.

I know about collective bargaining agreements have been upheld in court in the past. I'm trying to justify a reason for the 3 year Rule agreement. Clarret's immature behavor gives this rule some leverage.

 

[BuckeyeSoldier]

so by that logic jeremy shockey, randy moss, warren sapp and keyshawn johnson shouldnt have been drafted either.. maturity cant be measured by age or time out of highschool, these teams spends ridiculous amounts of money evaluating not just the players physicals skills but also their mental and emotional traits. If they evaluate these and still decide that a kid is good enough to draft then i dont see any reason why they shouldnt be able to do just that.

 

[ekeen]

"Clarett’s not ready for the NFL," Hicks said. "He would be like a boy among men. It would not be a pretty situation."

Pretty retarded comment. Ok, maybe Clarett is not ready, but you have no idea. Is Mike Williams ready? probably. Was Orlando Pace ready after his sophomore year? Probably.

Tibor,

I have noticed that you explain a lot of your positions by ending with "Probably". Why don't you listen to the people that have been in the NFL instead of pretending to know what you are talking about.

 

[osugrad21]

so by that logic jeremy shockey, randy moss, warren sapp and keyshawn johnson shouldnt have been drafted either..

You read my mind here....

OhioBuck if you need justification for the 3 Year Rule, take the players' abilities out of the equation. Think of these players as investments by the teams. With free agency and no loyalty, rookies can get out of town in 3 years. There is not a High School team in existaence that runs a NFL quality scheme on either side of the ball. Therefore, College football serves as a minor league for the NFL by honing physical and mental skills. If the 3 year rule was not in effect, these young talents would have to be drafted, sent to Europe to learn, and hopefully pan out. The entire time, the team is paying for this prospective talent which may never amount to anything. The 3 year rule keeps players like D'Andrea, a physical speciman with all the measurables but has been slow to learn the system, from ruining their careers.

 

[Geaugabuck]

Clarett Made his own bed

I believe that clarret has a lot of God given talent and ability. However, his decision making leaves everything to be desired. I do not believe he is ready for the NFL for his own good. While we may never know whether he is physically ready, emotionally he is not. The emotional and public pressure of the NFL has ruined quite a few very good athletes over the last couple of years, not to mention the financial (get rich overnight syndrome) and ego pressures that go along with it. His decision to place all of his goods in one basket and quit school is just one example. His choice of advisors is another. I wish him well. He can still make it into the NFL but it will most definitely be via the school of hard knocks and only if his decision making skills improve dramatically.

 

[KillerNut]

I'm in shock did I read Tibor backing down because he knew he was wrong?

 

[gbearbuck]

BuckinMich,

Pace went pro three years after he graduated HS...