Former teammates still fond of Clarett
Smith says RB would have been a leader
Friday, December 30, 2005 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Scottsdale, Ariz.
-- Troy Smith thinks about it all the time, an Ohio State team that would have included running back Maurice Clarett this season.
"He would have been one of the vocal leaders and I'm sure everybody would have followed in his footsteps if he was still here," Ohio State's quarterback said Thursday.
"Maurice in a lot of ways led guys into battle because he was that kind of guy, he was that kind of back, he was a gametime back. It's sad what happened, but we can't do anything about it. But if Maurice was still here, I definitely believe this would be a much, much, much more powerful team."
This week in Arizona could have been a proper end for Clarett, playing a final game in the Fiesta Bowl with one of the most accom plished senior classes in Ohio State history.
The ugly end for Clarett came long ago, his football farewell occurring at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the 19-year-old freshman running for two touchdowns as the Buckeyes won the national title with a 31-24 win over Miami. Investigations, accusations and shattered NFL dreams followed, his football life now in limbo as his classmates attempt to tie a school record with 43 victories in a four-year span.
Clarett, cut by the Denver Broncos after being taken in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft, could not be reached for comment Thursday. But his friends - and he still has them on the team - are certain he'll be watching the Buckeyes against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday night, harboring some regrets.
"That class, we were close," senior safety Nate Salley said. "He had all the talent in the world. He had so many things he could have done but it didn't work out. He's probably one of the best running backs a lot of people have seen. He was the best running back I've ever been on a team with. But I just wish things could have turned out better for him."
"I'm sure he has regrets," said senior offensive lineman Rob Sims, who last spoke with Clarett about a month ago. "However the ball bounces, you've got to deal with it and for the most part he has. He's still got a lot of friends here. You're always a Buckeye.
"Whatever problems he had were his problems, they weren't for us. We had to stay here - the show must go on. As a person and a friend, I'll never lose a friendship over something that went down with him."
Even if Clarett hadn't attempted an early jump to the NFL after being suspended the university his sophomore year, he might not be in Arizona this week.
"I don't think he'd be here to talk to you guys," senior linebacker A.J. Hawk said. "He'd probably be in the NFL."
Or maybe, the Buckeyes wouldn't be in Arizona, but in Pasadena instead, playing for another national title. Smith envisions a running attack in which current starter Antonio Pittman would be made even better by Clarett's presence. Junior receiver Santonio Holmes, who redshirted Clarett's freshman year, envisions a Clarett who could have been the best player in America.
"Not all the attention would be drawn to [USC's] Reggie Bush, about him being the guy as the running back for the Heisman," Holmes said. "Maurice Clarett would possibly be a two-time Heisman winner if he had stuck around."
Of course, by that first Fiesta Bowl, it had already begun to fall apart, Clarett creating a firestorm when he wanted to leave bowl preparation to attend a friend's funeral, with Ohio State saying it couldn't pay for his flight because he didn't file the proper paperwork.
The Buckeyes pushed past that to finish off a 14-0 season with Clarett, and they've won 28 games over the last three years without him.
They moved on long ago, hoping only they'll have an extra fan on Monday.
"He loves his Buckeyes, there's no question," coach Jim Tressel said.
It will truly end then, the Clarett Era that never was, marching into history. His father Mike, estranged from Clarett since before he came to Ohio State, will watch Monday as well, the memories from his son's first game at Ohio Stadium still fresh in his mind.
"It was a great, great moment in our family life," Mike Clarett said. "To see how it all turned out, it's really a tragic situation. I wish it had turned out different."
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