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

[BUCKYLE]

This makes me genuinely happy. Good for them. Love MoC.

 

[Thump]

 

[Thump]

 

[Captain Buckeye]

The guy still looks like he could play

 

[ScriptOhio]

Maurice Clarett Says There’s “No Need” for Jeremiah Smith, Current College Football Players to Push for Early NFL Draft Eligibility Like He Once Did

Now that college football players can make NIL money, Maurice Clarett thinks challenging the NFL draft’s entry rules would be “pointless” for today’s stars.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Maurice Clarett Says There’s “No Need” for Jeremiah Smith, Current College Football Players to Push for Early NFL Draft Eligibility Like He Once Did​

Jeremiah Smith’s spectacular freshman season has renewed the debate about whether players should have to wait three years to enter the NFL draft. But the former Ohio State star who tried to change that rule two decades ago says there’s “no need” for Smith – or any other college football player – to try to change that rule now.

Twenty-two years before Smith became Ohio State’s biggest star as a true freshman and led Ohio State to a national championship, Maurice Clarett did the same in 2002. Clarett broke Ohio State’s freshman rushing records by running for 1,237 yards and 18 touchdowns and delivered in a huge way in the Buckeyes’ national title game win over Miami. In addition to scoring the game-winning touchdown in double overtime, Clarett made perhaps the greatest hustle play in Ohio State history by stealing the ball out of Sean Taylor’s hands during an interception return by the Miami safety.

Unfortunately for Clarett and the Buckeyes, that would be the final game of his Ohio State career. Clarett was suspended and ultimately dismissed from the team before the 2003 season after accepting improper benefits. He then filed a lawsuit against the NFL, alleging that the requirement for players to be three years out of high school before entering the NFL draft violated federal antitrust laws.

A federal judge initially sided with Clarett, but the decision was overturned after an appeal by the NFL, keeping Clarett out of football for two years before he entered the 2005 NFL draft. His career never recovered, as he never played a snap in the league despite being selected in the third round by the Denver Broncos.

Having gone through the experience of taking the NFL to court and losing that fight, Clarett says Smith or any other college football player would be mistaken to try to challenge the league’s eligibility rules to enter the draft early.

“I would tell him ‘Don’t even waste your time, man,’” Clarett said while participating in the most recent 12th Warrior Happy Hour. “You don't know what you don't know when you're first starting to fight the battle, and you may emotionally want to go and you may think that it's best for you, but I would never wish the fight that I had on any person. I would say, ‘Hey man, enjoy football.’”

Of course, the calculus is much different for today’s college football stars than it was for Clarett. While Clarett became ineligible to play at Ohio State for accepting thousands of dollars in benefits, Smith is making millions of dollars now that college athletes are allowed to profit from their name, image and likeness. Given that the players who would be top draft picks can now take care of themselves and their families financially while still in college, Clarett sees no reason for players to rush their way to the NFL now.

“There’s no need,” Clarett said. “I was poor and I couldn't afford $1,200 for a transmission. That was essentially, like if you talk about what happened, a $1,200 transmission that my family couldn't afford is what really started everything for me in college. So I wouldn't even tell (Smith) to even think about it; if there was anybody even advising it, it's pointless. He can have fun, he can learn, he can grow here. You can get a ton of high-quality reps.”

When Clarett thinks back on his own Ohio State career and how it ended, he says one of his biggest regrets is that he didn’t get to have a full collegiate experience. So he encourages today’s college football players to enjoy their time in college while they can.
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