-
New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.
- Thread starter Taosman
- Start date
daddyphatsacs
Let the cards fall...
Taosman;1115526; said:
I'm not quite sure that I agree with that Taos. Whether you like what he did after the 2002 season or not, Clarett was a HUGE part of that team. He carried that offense for most of the season. Think back to all of the huge plays he made along the way. Besides Krenzel, Clarett was the leader of that offense. It sucks to say it.......but it's the truth. The guy was magical on the field, sadly he let his ego get the best of him.
Upvote
0
daddyphatsacs;1115570; said:
Before the season began, there were comments coming out of the team that he was calling out the team to get in shape and get ready to rumble. We very well may have lost two games that year without him.
When he was out, the offense was lackluster. Just remember the touchdown saving tackle on the interception in the national championship game, the times he ran two or three plays up the middle when that team was in trouble. He made a great contribution to their success.
All of that is overshadowed by the images of a man who made it very clear he had no desire to become a Buckeye. The picture throwing the Buckeye jersey away. Calling out the coaches, arguing with them on the sideline. The constant seething anger and discontent. The allegations that Ohio State had lied to, and about, him in respect of his friend's funeral. Sitting alone pouting and refusing to celebrate with the team after the NC win. The endless unsubstantiated allegations about the team after his first bogus insurance claim and subsequent arrest.
For me, it's not about liking or disliking him. I just cannot and will not separate his performance on the field from the ugly images of the ill-will he had for Ohio State and the damage he tried to do to the coaches, players, adminstrators, and University. That a man like Andy Geiger had to retire in such an ugly cloud, after doing so much good, can be traced to the baseless allegations raised by Clarett. It was sad but not surprising when willfullness eventually put him in prison.
It is impossible to disregard Clarett's important contribution on the field that year.
It is equally impossible to disregard the harm that his behavior and baseless allegations did to athletics at Ohio State and to the image of the University.
In my mind, I long ago threw away the notion of him as a Buckeye, just as he once threw away a Buckeye jersey. A leader serves others. He was always for himself and in the end rejected being a member of that team. May his shadow never darken the doorway of any building on campus ever again.
Last edited:
Upvote
0
Taosman;1115579; said:
I would bet that if you asked members of the 2002 team, they'd disagree with you.
Upvote
0
IronBuckI
Calmer than you are.
Looks more like passive aggressive bullshit than a concession. There's a reason that many of the players were unwilling to turn on Maurice until it was very late in the game. Don't let actual accounts of what happened during the 2002 season sway you from throwing out a picture of E!SPN's self-fulfilling prophecy.
Upvote
0