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RB Maurice Clarett (B1G Freshman of the Year, National Champion)

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Clarett Finding His Footing With Omaha Pro Team
It's taken time to get into shape and get up to speed but Maurice Clarett says he's doing fine
The Associated Press
By RUSTY MILLER AP College Football Writer

COLUMBUS, Ohio October 6, 2010 (AP)

After 3? years in a prison cell, the sound of people cheering and rooting for him has helped Maurice Clarett make the transition back to a routine life.

"I'm doing something that I love," the former Ohio State tailback said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "I think that goes for anybody in the world anywhere: If you're doing something you love and you're having fun doing it, I don't think a person can ask for too much more."

Clarett, a month into a stint with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League, said it has taken him time to get back into playing shape after not playing competitively since he led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship. He was suspended by the NCAA for taking improper inducements, failed to make it in the NFL, then spent 3? years in prison for having a hidden gun and holding up two people outside a Columbus bar in 2006.

In the Nighhawks' two games ? both wins ? Clarett has seen only limited action.

The 26-year-old Clarett declined to address questions about his past. He said he had learned to deal with only what is in front of him.

"I take things day by day. I don't get too far ahead of myself; I don't look behind myself," he said when asked if he hopes to someday make it to the NFL.

"I understand my responsibility and where I'm at right now. I'm sort of living in the moment," he said. "Some personal goals, I keep them private and I keep them to myself. I put in all the work I need to be putting in, to contribute to the team and become a better player. I try every day. It's a day-by-day process. I focus on the moment."
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"I pay attention. The big games that they have on TV, they have a lot of Nebraska games out here or regional games out here," he said. "I talk to a couple of players back at Ohio State. I pay attention to Ohio State."
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http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=11816318
 
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Common man and the Torg played that conference call on the radio today. It was pretty funny. Everytime someone asked MoC a question that even hinted at his past some lady would chime in and say "next question".
 
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Oct. 07, 2010
Copyright ? Las Vegas Review-Journal
Small gains elemental to Clarett's comeback
Former Ohio State RB embraces second chance with UFL's Nighthawks
By STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

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Running back Maurice Clarett has played sparingly in the Omaha Nighthawks' first two games but hopes to take on a bigger role. Omaha visits the Locomotives on Friday.
SPECIAL TO THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Tempting as it might be to make up for lost time, Maurice Clarett is in no rush to prove that he can still play football.

The running back is taking baby steps as he tries to resurrect his career with the United Football League's expansion Omaha Nighthawks.

"I don't get too ahead of myself," the 26-year-old Clarett said Wednesday from Omaha, Neb. "I'm taking it day by day and living in the moment."
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http://www.lvrj.com/sports/small-gains-elemental-to-clarett-s-comeback-104474909.html

Published Thursday October 7, 2010
Nighthawks' Clarett makes progress, focuses on future
By Steven Pivovar
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

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That's been Maurice Clarett's approach to getting his football career, and his life, back on track since he joined the Omaha Nighthawks six weeks ago. The approach provides hope that his future can be better than his past.

?I feel great about where I am, coming to work and loving what I'm doing everyday,? he said after a recent practice. ?I'm enjoying what I'm doing, and I'm living the dream right now.?

Clarett's career took a nightmarish turn after he burst on to the national scene as an Ohio State freshman in 2002. He rushed for more than 1,200 yards and helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.

Three years later, he was out of football and in prison. He served his time ? three years in an Ohio penitentiary ? and sought a second chance.

The Nighthawks gave it to him when they signed the 26-year-old Clarett to a UFL contract in late August. He played in his first game in more than seven years when Omaha opened its season Sept. 24 against Hartford.

He returned a kickoff and played on special teams. He got more opportunities in the Nighthawks' second game, rushing five times for 12 yards and catching a pass for six yards.

Modest numbers for a back who once tore through opposing defenses but enough to signal progress for Clarett. Equally encouraging to Clarett was that he was on the field late in the game when the Nighthawks rallied for the touchdown that gave them a 20-17 win.

?That showed me that my coaches and my teammates believe in me,? Clarett said. ?That spoke a lot about how coach felt I was responsible enough and that he felt comfortable enough with putting me in during a crucial time in the game.

?That was a big step for me in the right direction.?

Omaha coach Jeff Jagodzinski said the plan is to increase Clarett's workload as the Nighthawks get deeper into the season.

?I think we're going to get him a little bit more every week,? Jagodzinski said. ?He's looking better in practice, and he's taking a lot of reps with the show team, with the first unit. It's just a matter of time before he has that breakout run.?
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http://www.omaha.com/article/20101006/SPORTS/710069789/0

Rob Oller commentary: Forget past or future, Clarett rooted in present
Thursday, October 7, 2010
By Rob Oller
The Columbus Dispatch

Maurice Clarett's locker is located between the Green Bay Packers' all-time leading rusher and a four-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback. Not bad for someone who dressed between two felons for 3 years.

Success is not measured always by the company you keep. But failure is. So although it is premature to project Clarett as a beacon of accomplishment, it is not too soon to say that putting on shoulder pads while standing between Omaha Nighthawks teammates Ahman Green and Jeff Garcia validates the former Ohio State tailback as being more than a lost cause. The company he keeps no longer sleeps in prison cells.

I'm not here to sell Clarett's story as some inspirational message of hope and promise, although it contains elements of both. I'm also not bent on wagging my finger as if to say, "Wait a minute, what about his dark past?" although it is a legitimate question.

The point simply is to present the present. Or as Clarett said yesterday during a conference call, to live in the moment.

"I'm taking things day by day; don't get too far ahead of myself and don't look behind myself," he said. "I have some personal goals I keep private and to myself, but as long as I'm putting in all the work I need to in order to contribute to this team, then I'm satisfied."
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http://www.dispatch.com/live/conten...future-clarett-rooted-in-present.html?sid=101
 
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Ohio State?s Maurice Clarett Returns To Blogosphere

Did it feel like something was missing on the internet over the last year? Well it might because Ohio State?s Maurice Clarett hadn?t posted a new entry on his blog, ?The Mind of Maurice Clarett,? since August 2009. But now that he?s out of prison and a member of the UFL?s Omaha Nighthawks, Clarett just penned his first entry in over 14 months. Titled ?Back on the Blog!?, Clarett states, ?I?m loving life and I?m living it. I couldn?t have imagined this life six months ago.?
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http://www.lostlettermen.com/2010/10/in-the-news-osus-maurice-clarett-returns-to-blogosphere/

http://mauriceclarett.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/back-on-the-blog/
 
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I like what he said about prison. He said it stripped him down the the core of his person. He got rid of the negative baggage he had gained throughout the decade and got to the core of who he was as a person.
Now he is just building from there. Great to see. He is doing the best you can do to turn your life around, you have to look forward.
 
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jwinslow;1800453; said:
http://www.onebuckeyenation.com/

This link is a lot longer.
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Thanks for providing that link. I took a couple of things from that clip. First, Clarett sounds like he has matured beyond his age. When he was playing football here at tOSU he was 20 years old going on 12 years old. No regard for the consequences of his actions at all. Now, he seems more like 26 going on 50. He seems more concerned about being a good, complete person than being a rich, glamorous professional athlete. What a transformation. I hope he can stick with it.

Second, JT is absolutely, positively, 100% a class act.
 
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