Clarett angered at decision forcing him to miss funeral [Ohio St. star frets about poor & homeless]

CBS.Sportline.com ^ | Dec. 30, 2002 | AP

[willieroe]

PHOENIX -- Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett, upset over missing the funeral of a lifelong friend, said Monday that colleges care more about football than they do about life.

Speaking before the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes' showdown for the national title against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl on Friday, Clarett said Ohio State "gave him the runaround" and "told me it was a (NCAA) compliance issue" when he asked to fly home for the service Monday.

"They didn't really give me an answer to the question," he said of university officials. "I guess football's more important than a person's life to them. That's why I'm ready to get this game over and go back home."

Clarett set Ohio State freshman records this season with 1,190 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns.

Ohio State sports information director Steve Snapp said he was unaware of Clarett's request to fly home to Youngstown, Ohio. Snapp said he was aware only that Clarett's friend was killed.

Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger was not immediately available to comment.

Clarett declined to give the name of his friend, who he said was shot last week.

He said he was affected not only by the death but by Ohio State's response.

"I'm kind of messed up now because they jerked me kind of," Clarett said. "I really wanted to go back. I'm not really supposed to be here. But it's cool. Things happen in life, there's bumps in the road like every thing else. But I'll be all right."

Earlier in the season, Clarett had talked about other friends who had not been able to escape the streets in the Rust Belt city. He said he had lost several friends and relatives and that he thought of them every day when he considered how fortunate he was to have a scholarship and the opportunity to better himself.

Clarett said it was difficult to keep a football game in perspective in light of what is going on back home.

"Life's a whole lot more important than football, you know what I mean? We hold the national championship but they won't talk about the homeless and the poor," he said. "We're sitting here in this old grand hotel, things like that, but we can't feed the homeless or poor. ... It's a game."

Clarett was a toddler when his father left home. His mother, Michelle, is the chief deputy clerk for the municipal court in Youngstown.

As he was growing up, he saw people killed in the streets. Once he was playing football in the street when a boy sitting nearby was killed in a drive-by shooting. Another time, Clarett was sitting on the front porch of the house he shared with his mother, grandmother, two brothers and 11 cousins. They saw a neighbor's friend be shot in the chest, crawl into Clarett's front yard and bleed to death.

Clarett said his goal was to funnel money back to people who need it the most.

"You go through downtown Columbus, you've got people sleeping on sidewalks. You know what I mean? And they're giving us scholarships and they're selling 100,000 tickets every game," he said.

"It's the richest part of Columbus, downtown, but you're walking past bums and homeless people. This is wintertime, it's like 19 degrees down there. They're sleeping in boxes and little covers. It don't make any sense to me."

AP NEWS
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Copyright 2002, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

[wideawake]

Just the kind of complex sociological analysis I'd expect from someone who's too stupid to get into state college without a sports scholarship.

[KC_Conspirator]

Whats he complaining about? Its not like he has to attend class ro anything!

Regardless, I think Clarett is overrated and is the next Archie Griffin rather than the next Eddie George.

[lelio]

Ohio State sports information director Steve Snapp said he was unaware of Clarett's request to fly home to Youngstown, Ohio. Snapp said he was aware only that Clarett's friend was killed.
Uh huh, yeah I believe that. When you're in CYA mode at least make it believable.

[ken5050]

You may be onto something.....methinks he's looking for a way out of his pledge to return to OSU next year...and now that the Bengals have clinched the #1 pick in the draft.....he can play in front of all his homies...

[FreeTally]

Clarett said his goal was to funnel money back to people who need it the most.

Didn't Nate Newton and Bam Morris do something like that?

[Puppage]

Clarett

I don't suppose he, ah...wined?

[FreeTally]

and now that the Bengals have clinched the #1 pick in the draft.....he can play in front of all his homies...

I can think of a couple QB's who hope your theory is right.

[lepton]

You may be onto something.....methinks he's looking for a way out of his pledge to return to OSU next year...and now that the Bengals have clinched the #1 pick in the draft.....he can play in front of all his homies...

Dillon going somewhere?

[HamiltonJay]

Seems to me this guys got more sense than most... Football's a game... if you think football is more important than a good friends funeral, then I pity both you and your friends.

[lepton]

The area he's talking about isn't poor because of lack of money...it's poor because of crime. He may have good intentions, but he's got the wrong solution.

BTW, are his father and grandfather dead?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I don't think Ohio State belongs in a bowl to determine the national championship. If any team does, its USC. Hope Iowa can stay with em.

[sticker]

Why would the school be responsible for flying him to Ohio and back?

[unionman]

How do you know he's stupid?

[ChemistCat]

When you start out complaining that you weren't allowed to go to a funeral, but end up ranting about homelessness...some sympathy is lost. He needs a ghostwriter to help him stay on topic.

I believe most employers have funeral policies that give employees time off to attend the funerals of close family members. If you want to attend funerals of friends, that's personal time. Methinks this man may have some difficulty holding a job when he hits the cold cruel real world.

[csvset]

The last I heard about Nate, he was going to jail.

Nate Newton gets 30-month sentence on drug charge

[ken5050]

Corey is tired of losing, and musical coaches, and may not resign with the team......he'd like a chance at a ring before he hangs it up..

[FreeTally]

Because he helped his homies start a smuggling operation. Same as Bam Morris. The guys were thugs before college, during college, and while they were in the NFL. The guys make millions and dont seem to be smart enough to remove bad influences from their lives. That wouldn't be "keepin it real" in their minds.

[rovenstinez]

It looks to me like Clarett has class. I like his style.

[Humbug]

methinks he's looking for a way out of his pledge to return to OSU next year...and now that the Bengals have clinched the #1 pick in the draft.....he can play in front of all his homies...

He can't go pro yet since he's only a freshman. You have to be 3 years removed from high school before they'll draft you.