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AJHawkfan
Wanna make $14 the hard way?
I don't know, but it seems when you are as notorious in one city/state as Mo has/had become, it seems like a bad place to become a criminal. You would think that if you were going to become a mugger, you would want to do so in a place where there is a chance your vicitms might not be able to identify you by name....
Cop: "Uh, ma'am, can you give us a descritpion of what your attacker looked like?"
Victim: "Well, his name is Maurice Clarett. Does that help?"
Cop: "Uh, ma'am, can you give us a descritpion of what your attacker looked like?"
Victim: "Well, his name is Maurice Clarett. Does that help?"
Upvote
0
DDN
Hawk reflects on Clarett's troubles
By Chris Jenkins
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. | A.J. Hawk and Maurice Clarett were two freshmen brimming with talent when they arrived at Ohio State in 2002. A few months later, they were national champions.
Today, Hawk is on his way to becoming the next big star for the Green Bay Packers.
Clarett is in jail.
After hearing reports of a police chase, loaded guns and pepper spray, Hawk can only shake his head at the way a former teammate squandered his talent.
After watching Clarett dominate college football for the Buckeyes, could Hawk ever have imagined that things would turn out like this?
"No," Hawk said. "Anyone that had been there his freshman year in that stadium, I mean, he was everything. To everybody. From game one. People chanted his name the whole time, and he had a great year."
Clarett was the toast of college football after scoring a touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to clinch the 2002 national championship for Ohio State.
Since then, his life has become a mess.
"He was a great running back — great vision, size, speed, everything," Hawk said. "It's unfortunate when something like that happens to someone, that many instances that he had off the field that caused all these problems for him."
Clarett was arrested early Wednesday morning after police tried to pull him over for driving erratically.
Police say they eventually stopped Clarett's SUV by spiking his tires, then tried to subdue him with a stun gun — but it didn't work because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, so they used pepper spray. He allegedly had four loaded guns in the SUV.
Clarett was charged with carrying a concealed weapon on Thursday, and bond was set at $5 million.
It was the latest in a series of off-the-field issues for the former star.
Clarett was suspended for the 2003 season after being charged with falsifying a police report. He left Ohio State, then sued unsuccessfully to become eligible for 2004 NFL draft.
The Denver Broncos drafted him in the third round in 2005, then cut him during the preseason.
Earlier this year, Clarett was charged with robbery and carrying a concealed weapon after police said he flashed a gun and robbed two people of a cell phone behind a Columbus lounge on New Year's morning.
"It's tough seeing that because it seems like something that keeps repeating," Hawk said. "It's not like it's gotten better."
Hawk said he didn't know Clarett particularly well off the field, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"He got along with the guys and was a good teammate at the time," said Hawk, who hasn't spoken to Clarett in several years.
Hawk wonders if Clarett was getting bad advice.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," Hawk said. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wakeup call."
Packers defensive lineman Kenny Peterson was a senior at Ohio State when Clarett was a freshman, and hopes to get a chance to speak to his former teammate.
"You know what? It's easy to love somebody when everything's going good. When it's sunny days, winning. It's easy to love somebody then," Peterson said. "But when they need the most love is when they're down and out. Everyone's trying to shun him now. If I had direct contact with him, I would. He needs somebody to help him. Obviously, there's more than a little bit going on, more than we know."
Peterson said from an outsider's perspective, it appears that Clarett is on a downward spiral that he can't control.
"More people need to reach out and find out what's going on," Peterson said. "Don't give up on him. We need to get to the source of why he's acting like this, what's going on in his heart and his head. If you look at it as an outsider, yeah, you think, 'This dude has just lost it. He's gone crazy.' I wish I could talk to Maurice. I wish."
DDN
Clarett gets $5 million bond after arrested with guns in SUV
By By Matt Leingang
Associated Press
COLUMBUS | Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett closed his eyes and winced in his jail-issue tan jumpsuit Thursday when a judge set his bond on a felony gun charge at $5 million.
The grimace stood in contrast to the big smiles he'd flashed after his finest moments on the football field.
For Clarett, 22, it was another chapter in a fall from the fame that peaked when the Buckeyes won the 2002 national title, then began to fade when he was suspended the next year for falsifying a police report and left school to unsuccessfully challenge the NFL's age minimum.
Clarett's latest run-in with the law began when police said they tried to give him a traffic citation early Wednesday. A highway chase ensued, ending when police spiked the tires on the sport utility vehicle Clarett was driving, sending it limping into a restaurant parking lot.
Officers said they found four loaded guns in the SUV, including an assault rifle, and police used pepper spray to subdue the 6-foot, 245-pounder, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Details about why Clarett had guns that night are still sketchy. Police said Clarett refused to talk to investigators.
Prosecutors now call Clarett, who once thrilled fans at Ohio Stadium with a slashing, hard-nosed running style, a threat to the community. When the chase started, Clarett was driving only a few blocks from the home of a woman who was set to testify against him next week in a separate robbery case, prosecutors said.
"We're very confident that there was no intent to harm anyone," said Clarett's lawyer, Nick Mango.
The $5 million bond on the charge of carrying a concealed weapon is probably unreachable, which means Clarett will likely spend the weekend in jail as he awaits Monday's start of the robbery trial, Mango said.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Andrea Peeples said she set the bond so high — prosecutors had asked for $1 million — because Clarett refused to stop for police and did not initially cooperate with officers. She set a preliminary hearing for Aug. 18.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," said rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk of the Green Bay Packers, who arrived at Ohio State as a freshman with Clarett in 2002. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wake-up call."
Despite recent verbal and e-mailed death threats, Clarett, 22, was in a positive mood when he spent Tuesday evening in suburban Columbus with his attorneys, preparing for next week's trial in the robbery case, said Jon Saia, a senior partner with the law firm representing Clarett. His lawyers have not said where the death threats came from.
Clarett made a series of cell phone calls into the night and early Wednesday morning, including one to a magazine writer, Saia said.
One of the calls also went to Jim Terry, coach of Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League. Clarett has plans to play for the Youngstown-based team in January.
Clarett, whose girlfriend recently gave birth to his premature daughter, sounded depressed on the phone, but that wasn't unusual, Terry said.
"Maurice mumbles, so he sounds depressed all the time," Terry said. "We just talked about the baby, we talked about the trial and then the phone cut out."
Clarett did not call back, Terry said. A short time late, police said they attempted to stop Clarett after they spotted the SUV weaving in and out of lanes.
Clarett also had a driver's license that was suspended May 10, 2005, for a violation that usually results from an outstanding warrant or traffic citation, said Fred Stratmann, a spokesman for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. No other details were provided.
Police said more charges are possible, and federal agents are attempting to determine where the firearms in the SUV came from, said Patrick Berarducci of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
DDN
Story of the 'Grey Goose' a good storyline for 'Cops'
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
When I got home Wednesday night, HBO19 (or something) was showing Everybody's All-American. The 1988 film with bad '80s music starred Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange.
Gavin Grey (the Grey Ghost), a fictional 1950s college football star and wife Babs, an empty-headed beauty queen, endure trials and tribulations.
Basically, it's about a former college football running back who doesn't have much except living off past glory. Though it probably shouldn't have, the movie ended slightly upbeat.
Hmmm, 18 years later and we have the real-life "Grey Goose," aka Maurice Clarett.
Driving with four loaded guns, a half-bottle of Grey Goose vodka, a hatchet and wearing a bullet-proof vest, Clarett was hauled to jail after a traffic violation. It took pepper spray to control the Goose after a Taser didn't work.
That's no Hollywood ending.
The running back who scored the winning touchdown in Ohio State's national title (that seemed like the movie, didn't it?) has had trouble for years.
Unlike the Ghost, the Goose didn't have an NFL career.
Clarett reportedly claimed he and his girlfriend had a daughter. I suppose it's possible there could still be time to change the ending of this real tragedy.
After the national title game, Clarett reportedly told the Miami Herald, "This doesn't mean anything to me. I just want to go home."
Now, home is prison for not-so-old unlucky No. 13. And instead of seeing his story in a bad movie you're more apt to see him in an episode of Cops.
Hawk reflects on Clarett's troubles
By Chris Jenkins
Associated Press
GREEN BAY, Wis. | A.J. Hawk and Maurice Clarett were two freshmen brimming with talent when they arrived at Ohio State in 2002. A few months later, they were national champions.
Today, Hawk is on his way to becoming the next big star for the Green Bay Packers.
Clarett is in jail.
After hearing reports of a police chase, loaded guns and pepper spray, Hawk can only shake his head at the way a former teammate squandered his talent.
After watching Clarett dominate college football for the Buckeyes, could Hawk ever have imagined that things would turn out like this?
"No," Hawk said. "Anyone that had been there his freshman year in that stadium, I mean, he was everything. To everybody. From game one. People chanted his name the whole time, and he had a great year."
Clarett was the toast of college football after scoring a touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to clinch the 2002 national championship for Ohio State.
Since then, his life has become a mess.
"He was a great running back — great vision, size, speed, everything," Hawk said. "It's unfortunate when something like that happens to someone, that many instances that he had off the field that caused all these problems for him."
Clarett was arrested early Wednesday morning after police tried to pull him over for driving erratically.
Police say they eventually stopped Clarett's SUV by spiking his tires, then tried to subdue him with a stun gun — but it didn't work because he was wearing a bulletproof vest, so they used pepper spray. He allegedly had four loaded guns in the SUV.
Clarett was charged with carrying a concealed weapon on Thursday, and bond was set at $5 million.
It was the latest in a series of off-the-field issues for the former star.
Clarett was suspended for the 2003 season after being charged with falsifying a police report. He left Ohio State, then sued unsuccessfully to become eligible for 2004 NFL draft.
The Denver Broncos drafted him in the third round in 2005, then cut him during the preseason.
Earlier this year, Clarett was charged with robbery and carrying a concealed weapon after police said he flashed a gun and robbed two people of a cell phone behind a Columbus lounge on New Year's morning.
"It's tough seeing that because it seems like something that keeps repeating," Hawk said. "It's not like it's gotten better."
Hawk said he didn't know Clarett particularly well off the field, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"He got along with the guys and was a good teammate at the time," said Hawk, who hasn't spoken to Clarett in several years.
Hawk wonders if Clarett was getting bad advice.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," Hawk said. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wakeup call."
Packers defensive lineman Kenny Peterson was a senior at Ohio State when Clarett was a freshman, and hopes to get a chance to speak to his former teammate.
"You know what? It's easy to love somebody when everything's going good. When it's sunny days, winning. It's easy to love somebody then," Peterson said. "But when they need the most love is when they're down and out. Everyone's trying to shun him now. If I had direct contact with him, I would. He needs somebody to help him. Obviously, there's more than a little bit going on, more than we know."
Peterson said from an outsider's perspective, it appears that Clarett is on a downward spiral that he can't control.
"More people need to reach out and find out what's going on," Peterson said. "Don't give up on him. We need to get to the source of why he's acting like this, what's going on in his heart and his head. If you look at it as an outsider, yeah, you think, 'This dude has just lost it. He's gone crazy.' I wish I could talk to Maurice. I wish."
DDN
Clarett gets $5 million bond after arrested with guns in SUV
By By Matt Leingang
Associated Press
COLUMBUS | Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett closed his eyes and winced in his jail-issue tan jumpsuit Thursday when a judge set his bond on a felony gun charge at $5 million.
The grimace stood in contrast to the big smiles he'd flashed after his finest moments on the football field.
For Clarett, 22, it was another chapter in a fall from the fame that peaked when the Buckeyes won the 2002 national title, then began to fade when he was suspended the next year for falsifying a police report and left school to unsuccessfully challenge the NFL's age minimum.
Clarett's latest run-in with the law began when police said they tried to give him a traffic citation early Wednesday. A highway chase ensued, ending when police spiked the tires on the sport utility vehicle Clarett was driving, sending it limping into a restaurant parking lot.
Officers said they found four loaded guns in the SUV, including an assault rifle, and police used pepper spray to subdue the 6-foot, 245-pounder, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Details about why Clarett had guns that night are still sketchy. Police said Clarett refused to talk to investigators.
Prosecutors now call Clarett, who once thrilled fans at Ohio Stadium with a slashing, hard-nosed running style, a threat to the community. When the chase started, Clarett was driving only a few blocks from the home of a woman who was set to testify against him next week in a separate robbery case, prosecutors said.
"We're very confident that there was no intent to harm anyone," said Clarett's lawyer, Nick Mango.
The $5 million bond on the charge of carrying a concealed weapon is probably unreachable, which means Clarett will likely spend the weekend in jail as he awaits Monday's start of the robbery trial, Mango said.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Andrea Peeples said she set the bond so high — prosecutors had asked for $1 million — because Clarett refused to stop for police and did not initially cooperate with officers. She set a preliminary hearing for Aug. 18.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," said rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk of the Green Bay Packers, who arrived at Ohio State as a freshman with Clarett in 2002. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wake-up call."
Despite recent verbal and e-mailed death threats, Clarett, 22, was in a positive mood when he spent Tuesday evening in suburban Columbus with his attorneys, preparing for next week's trial in the robbery case, said Jon Saia, a senior partner with the law firm representing Clarett. His lawyers have not said where the death threats came from.
Clarett made a series of cell phone calls into the night and early Wednesday morning, including one to a magazine writer, Saia said.
One of the calls also went to Jim Terry, coach of Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League. Clarett has plans to play for the Youngstown-based team in January.
Clarett, whose girlfriend recently gave birth to his premature daughter, sounded depressed on the phone, but that wasn't unusual, Terry said.
"Maurice mumbles, so he sounds depressed all the time," Terry said. "We just talked about the baby, we talked about the trial and then the phone cut out."
Clarett did not call back, Terry said. A short time late, police said they attempted to stop Clarett after they spotted the SUV weaving in and out of lanes.
Clarett also had a driver's license that was suspended May 10, 2005, for a violation that usually results from an outstanding warrant or traffic citation, said Fred Stratmann, a spokesman for the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. No other details were provided.
Police said more charges are possible, and federal agents are attempting to determine where the firearms in the SUV came from, said Patrick Berarducci of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
DDN
Story of the 'Grey Goose' a good storyline for 'Cops'
By Mark Gokavi
Staff Writer
When I got home Wednesday night, HBO19 (or something) was showing Everybody's All-American. The 1988 film with bad '80s music starred Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange.
Gavin Grey (the Grey Ghost), a fictional 1950s college football star and wife Babs, an empty-headed beauty queen, endure trials and tribulations.
Basically, it's about a former college football running back who doesn't have much except living off past glory. Though it probably shouldn't have, the movie ended slightly upbeat.
Hmmm, 18 years later and we have the real-life "Grey Goose," aka Maurice Clarett.
Driving with four loaded guns, a half-bottle of Grey Goose vodka, a hatchet and wearing a bullet-proof vest, Clarett was hauled to jail after a traffic violation. It took pepper spray to control the Goose after a Taser didn't work.
That's no Hollywood ending.
The running back who scored the winning touchdown in Ohio State's national title (that seemed like the movie, didn't it?) has had trouble for years.
Unlike the Ghost, the Goose didn't have an NFL career.
Clarett reportedly claimed he and his girlfriend had a daughter. I suppose it's possible there could still be time to change the ending of this real tragedy.
After the national title game, Clarett reportedly told the Miami Herald, "This doesn't mean anything to me. I just want to go home."
Now, home is prison for not-so-old unlucky No. 13. And instead of seeing his story in a bad movie you're more apt to see him in an episode of Cops.
Upvote
0
OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
You wouldn't think so, but my landlord, who has lived in the same neighborhood for almost 40 years, robbed at gunpoint a couple of convenience stores nearby and is facing 15-30 years in prison. You wouldn't think that shitting in your own bed would be a good idea, but I don't think these people, like Mo and my landlord, have any brains (or common sense) whatsoever.
Upvote
0
From seeing him on both ESPNnews and SportsCenter, I could tell something was just not right with that shitfuck.billmac91 said:
Upvote
0
I'll second that. The frigging pencil-necked geek was all too eager to make himself look like he matters to anyone not casting for a John Waters movie.
Upvote
0
sandgk
Watson, Crick & A Twist
The one minor gripe I might have with the article is that it did not explicitly state the other obvious fact about MoC - known to many fans.
He was not the numbnuts he is painted oftentimes (especially by those who should know better - Like Dan Patrick @ ESPN).
MoC graduated HS with something like a 3.5 GPA and 1220 SATs. LINK It was therefore his doing through inaction that lead to his academic issues at OSU.
Upvote
0
AJHawkfan
Wanna make $14 the hard way?
Soo-prise!! The judge wants a mental evaluation done...
Judge orders Clarett mental evaluation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060811/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_clarett_arrested_31
By MATT LEINGANG, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A judge has ordered a mental health evaluation of former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett, delaying his trial set to start next week on robbery charges.
Yesterday, Maurice Clarett reacted with quiet disbelief when he learned he'd likely spend the weekend in jail. The former Ohio State star running back may have an even harder time accepting what lies ahead.
Wearing the same type of tan, jail-issue jumpsuit he'd sported here once before, the former Ohio State star running back closed his eyes and softly shook his head Thursday when the judge announced his bond on a gun charge: $5 million.
His attorney, Nick Mango, said his client would not likely be able to post it, keeping Clarett in jail at least until the start of his robbery trial Monday.
Following his bizarre and violent encounter with police the day before, prosecutors had asked a judge to hold Clarett on at least $1 million bond.
"We feel he's a threat to the community," assistant prosecutor Chris Brown said.
Clarett stood against a wall next to his lawyer during Thursday's arraignment, didn't say anything and wasn't addressed by the judge.
Mango would not speculate on why four loaded guns — including an AK-47-style assault rifle — were in the SUV Clarett was driving early Wednesday.
"We're very confident that there was no intent to harm anyone," Mango said.
Prosecutors initially asked the judge to hold Clarett without bond, in part because he had been driving just a few blocks from the home of a woman scheduled to testify against him in his robbery trial. In that case, witnesses said Clarett flashed a gun and robbed them of a cell phone behind a Columbus nightclub earlier this year.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Andrea Peeples said she set the bond so high because the 22-year-old Clarett attempted to flee police. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 18.
Clarett's latest run-in with the law began when police noticed a vehicle driving erratically, beginning a highway chase that ended with police spiking the SUV's tires. Officers said they could not easily subdue Clarett because he was wearing a bulletproof vest that thwarted their stun guns.
After several police using pepper spray finally got him into handcuffs, the 6-foot, 245-pounder continued to struggle, kicking at the doors of the transport vehicle. Officers also secured a cloth mask over Clarett's mouth after they say he spat at them.
Police said more charges are possible, and federal agents said they are eyeing whether Clarett violated federal gun laws that prohibit having a firearm while under indictment.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," said rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk of the
Green Bay Packers, who arrived at Ohio State as a freshman with Clarett. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wake-up call."
Clarett was in a positive mood when he spent Tuesday night in suburban Columbus with his attorneys, preparing for the trial, said Jon Saia, a senior partner with the law firm representing Clarett.
He made a series of cell phone calls into the night and early Wednesday morning, including one to Jim Terry, coach of Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League where Clarett has plans to play in January.
Terry said Clarett, whose girlfriend recently gave birth to his premature daughter, sounded depressed on the phone, but that wasn't unusual.
"Maurice mumbles, so he sounds depressed all the time," Terry said. "We just talked about the baby, we talked about the trial and then the phone cut out."
Clarett did not call back, Terry said. Police said they attempted to stop Clarett a short time later.
As a freshman, Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship. It was the last game he played for the Buckeyes.
He was suspended for the following season after being charged with falsely reporting a theft to police. After dropping out of school, he challenged the NFL's draft eligibility rule in 2004 but lost.
The Broncos made him a surprise third-round pick the following year, but he was cut during the preseason.
___
Associated Press writers Rachel Hoag in Columbus, Chris Jenkins in Green Bay, Wis., and Devlin Barrett in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
Judge orders Clarett mental evaluation
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060811/ap_on_sp_co_ne/fbc_clarett_arrested_31
By MATT LEINGANG, Associated Press Writer 17 minutes ago
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A judge has ordered a mental health evaluation of former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett, delaying his trial set to start next week on robbery charges.
Yesterday, Maurice Clarett reacted with quiet disbelief when he learned he'd likely spend the weekend in jail. The former Ohio State star running back may have an even harder time accepting what lies ahead.
Wearing the same type of tan, jail-issue jumpsuit he'd sported here once before, the former Ohio State star running back closed his eyes and softly shook his head Thursday when the judge announced his bond on a gun charge: $5 million.
His attorney, Nick Mango, said his client would not likely be able to post it, keeping Clarett in jail at least until the start of his robbery trial Monday.
Following his bizarre and violent encounter with police the day before, prosecutors had asked a judge to hold Clarett on at least $1 million bond.
"We feel he's a threat to the community," assistant prosecutor Chris Brown said.
Clarett stood against a wall next to his lawyer during Thursday's arraignment, didn't say anything and wasn't addressed by the judge.
Mango would not speculate on why four loaded guns — including an AK-47-style assault rifle — were in the SUV Clarett was driving early Wednesday.
"We're very confident that there was no intent to harm anyone," Mango said.
Prosecutors initially asked the judge to hold Clarett without bond, in part because he had been driving just a few blocks from the home of a woman scheduled to testify against him in his robbery trial. In that case, witnesses said Clarett flashed a gun and robbed them of a cell phone behind a Columbus nightclub earlier this year.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Andrea Peeples said she set the bond so high because the 22-year-old Clarett attempted to flee police. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 18.
Clarett's latest run-in with the law began when police noticed a vehicle driving erratically, beginning a highway chase that ended with police spiking the SUV's tires. Officers said they could not easily subdue Clarett because he was wearing a bulletproof vest that thwarted their stun guns.
After several police using pepper spray finally got him into handcuffs, the 6-foot, 245-pounder continued to struggle, kicking at the doors of the transport vehicle. Officers also secured a cloth mask over Clarett's mouth after they say he spat at them.
Police said more charges are possible, and federal agents said they are eyeing whether Clarett violated federal gun laws that prohibit having a firearm while under indictment.
"I feel bad for him. I think a lot of people do," said rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk of the
Green Bay Packers, who arrived at Ohio State as a freshman with Clarett. "You've got to surround yourself with decent people, and I think in his case maybe he didn't do that, or took some bad advice or whatever. I don't know. Things aren't going right. Maybe this will be a wake-up call."
Clarett was in a positive mood when he spent Tuesday night in suburban Columbus with his attorneys, preparing for the trial, said Jon Saia, a senior partner with the law firm representing Clarett.
He made a series of cell phone calls into the night and early Wednesday morning, including one to Jim Terry, coach of Mahoning Valley Hitmen of the Eastern Indoor Football League where Clarett has plans to play in January.
Terry said Clarett, whose girlfriend recently gave birth to his premature daughter, sounded depressed on the phone, but that wasn't unusual.
"Maurice mumbles, so he sounds depressed all the time," Terry said. "We just talked about the baby, we talked about the trial and then the phone cut out."
Clarett did not call back, Terry said. Police said they attempted to stop Clarett a short time later.
As a freshman, Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl against Miami to lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship. It was the last game he played for the Buckeyes.
He was suspended for the following season after being charged with falsely reporting a theft to police. After dropping out of school, he challenged the NFL's draft eligibility rule in 2004 but lost.
The Broncos made him a surprise third-round pick the following year, but he was cut during the preseason.
___
Associated Press writers Rachel Hoag in Columbus, Chris Jenkins in Green Bay, Wis., and Devlin Barrett in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
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