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Ex-OSU stars tell it like it is.

ohiobuck94

Buckeye Beach Bum
No place to hide for athletes
Ex-OSU stars say times have changed

By RON MUSSELMAN
BLADE SPORTS WRITER


Tom Cousineau and John Hicks were both All-American football players at Ohio State during the 1970s.

They played in an era when there were no cell phones, no computers, less media coverage, and few arrests.

However, a lot has changed in Columbus.

In the 391/2 months since Jim Tressel was hired as coach, 14 Ohio State players have been involved in 15 off-the-field incidents requiring police intervention, not counting traffic tickets.

Infractions have included underage drinking, driving under the influence, possession of drugs and a firearm, and stealing golf clubs.

Earlier this month, freshman tight end Louis Irizarry and sophomore tailback Ira Guilford were picked up by police for beating up a fellow Ohio State student and stealing his wallet in the early morning hours.

The incidents have not gone unnoticed - at least as far as Hicks and Cousineau are concerned.

"The media coverage is 24/7, and with all the Internet chat rooms out there, kids have to realize they just can’t afford to act up any more," Hicks said. "The standards are real high now for student-athletes, and they have to adhere to the rules and conduct themselves in an orderly fashion. And if you don’t, you lose your scholarship. It’s that simple.

"Some kids make mistakes, but they deserve a second chance. I can’t condone people who are robbers or stealers. It’s embarrassing. It gives the school a black eye."

Cousineau said the type of player Ohio State recruits now is much different from the guys he played with more than 25 years ago.

"These days, you could never win a national championship with a team of choir boys," he said. "You need a good mix of kids. Everybody would love to win the national title with 70 Craig Krenzels, but you’re not going to do it.

"It’s not possible. It’s just not going to happen."

Cousineau and Hicks, who were honored last night during a "Meet the Buckeyes" event at the Stranahan Theater in Toledo, also are confident that former OSU tailback Maurice Clarett won’t play in the NFL this season after being barred from last month’s draft.

"The NFL doesn’t want Clarett, and it’s not good for the kid," said Cousineau, a linebacker who was the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1979. "He doesn’t belong in the NFL, given the situation.

"The league keeps getting younger and younger and we don’t need guys like [Clarett] coming into the league unprepared."

Hicks, an offensive tackle drafted in the first round by the New York Giants in 1974, agreed.

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

Clarett originally sued the NFL last September for immediate eligibility in the draft despite being out of high school for just two years, reversing the league’s previous three-year rule.

Under the rule, he would not have been eligible to play in the NFL until next season, because he was a 2001 graduate from Warren Harding High School.

But then that decision was overturned.

"It was the right ruling. It made me happy," Cousineau said.

It did not please Clarett, who faces an uncertain football future after rushing for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading Ohio State to the national championship as a freshman.

He was suspended his entire sophomore year for accepting improper benefits from a family friend and then lying about it to NCAA and university investigators.

"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."
 
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"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.
 
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I can't think of any position in the NFL that is more punishing than RB. Eddie George was a horse in college and although he has been excellent in the pros the beating has taken its toll.

I am unqualified to say whether MC is ready or not. These guys, and the many who have made similar comments, know of what they speak.
 
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Pretty retarded comment. Ok, maybe Clarett is not ready, but you have no idea.
No idea? :lol:

These guys probably had no idea about Clarett's knee and shoulder injuries he suffered during his freshman year, not to mention his injury problems in high school.

He couldn't even stay healthy enough to complete a full season in Big 10 play and these guys are retarded for saying he's not ready for the NFL?

Good one.
 
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sears3820 said:
No idea? :lol:

These guys probably had no idea about Clarett's knee and shoulder injuries he suffered during his freshman year, not to mention his injury problems in high school.

He couldn't even stay healthy enough to complete a full season in Big 10 play and these guys are retarded for saying he's not ready for the NFL?

Good one.

Ok. you got me there. I guess what I meant to say is that they have no right for saying MoC has no right to be in the NFL. Sure, he might get beat up. So? Then he'll retire and that will be that. And future running backs won't leave early. But does this mean that future Orlando Paces and Larry Fitzgeralds (i.e. after 1-2 years of college) should be prevented from entering early if they have the talent to do so?

"The league keeps getting younger and younger and we don’t need guys like [Clarett] coming into the league unprepared."

If you think Crybaby Clarett is unprepared, then don't draft him.
 
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tibor75 said:
Ok. you got me there. I guess what I meant to say is that they have no right for saying MoC has no right to be in the NFL. Sure, he might get beat up. So? Then he'll retire and that will be that. And future running backs won't leave early. But does this mean that future Orlando Paces and Larry Fitzgeralds (i.e. after 1-2 years of college) should be prevented from entering early if they have the talent to do so?
I agree.
 
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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."<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________

These two guys would have a pretty good idea but let Mo do what he wants, its his career, to bad he is stuck between a rock and a hard place now, bad situation but I like the quote from Cousineau about no one kid is bigger than the school.

:shake: :sad2:
 
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I honestly believe that if clarett was fan-friendly and likeable, the age limit would have been revoked. This whole argument has nothing to do with 20 year olds being ready. It has to do with the fact that the overwhelming majority of this country dislikes clarett. And they have let this hate cloud their views on this issue. The majority of people want to see clarett fail, so they will come up with any reason to not let him into the league.


The question should be "should 20 year olds be allowed entry into the league?"

Instead, the question is "I hate MoC, and I'll be damned if we let that cocky bastard into the NFL. We already have enough cocky bastards as it is."

If clarett had blown out his knee in the fiesta, and the next year it was mike williams who decided to challenge the rule, I GUARANTEE you that he would have won. But we will never know.
 
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Cousineau and Hicks seem worried about a "youth movement" in the NFL like what has happened in the NBA. I don't see it happening. There aren't that many who can do it (make the jump) and if a few wash out really hard, it will prove the point. It's one thing to have your shot blocked by Shaq; quite another to get popped full-speed by Ray Lewis.
 
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ohiobuck94 said:
He took his immature, cocky behavior to challenge the NFL and it was his immature cocky behavior that kept him out.
Someone with more mature personality like Williams may have helped to win the case.

Federal judges are basing their rulings on the personality of the person. If they are, they should be impeached because that is not their job. Their job is to interpret the law, and I'm sure that's what they did.
 
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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.
 
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BuckeyeTrail said:
I honestly believe that if clarett was fan-friendly and likeable, the age limit would have been revoked. This whole argument has nothing to do with 20 year olds being ready. It has to do with the fact that the overwhelming majority of this country dislikes clarett. And they have let this hate cloud their views on this issue. The majority of people want to see clarett fail, so they will come up with any reason to not let him into the league.


The question should be "should 20 year olds be allowed entry into the league?"

Instead, the question is "I hate MoC, and I'll be damned if we let that cocky bastard into the NFL. We already have enough cocky bastards as it is."

If clarett had blown out his knee in the fiesta, and the next year it was mike williams who decided to challenge the rule, I GUARANTEE you that he would have won. But we will never know.


I honestly disagree with you, but we've all been around this merry-go-round way too many times...

equine abuse isn't funny...
 
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