Clarett going to prison !

[Lodewijk]

In a surprise move today, just hours before his trial on robbery charges was to begin, Maurice accepted a plea agreement that combines all charges against him and gets him a minimum of 3 1/2 years in prison and a maximum of 7 1/2 years !

I kind of feel bad for the kid !

[onefootoutthedoor]

So the guy has some smarts after all.

[chefcraig]

I kind of feel bad for the kid !

I don't. Fuck him in the ass with a wire brush. The guy has been given every opportunity to straighten himself, and chose not to.

What a waste.

[Double Down]

What an unbelievable fall from grace this kid has had. Two or three years ago this kid had it all sitting there on a silver platter but he couldn't put it all together. Gotta feel for his family.

[Lodewijk]

Updated: Sep. 18, 2006, 5:39 PM ET
Clarett agrees to plea deal, will serve 3½ yearsAssociated Press


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett was sentenced to prison for at least 3½ years Monday after pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Judge David Fais announced the agreement on the day jury selection was to begin in a case in which Clarett was accused of holding up two people outside a bar.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior, and I accept the time that was given to me," Clarett said Monday.
Sentenced to 7½ years with release possible after 3½ years, Clarett also agreed to serve five years of probation after the prison sentence.

The 22-year-old said he understood he was pleading guilty and reversing his earlier plea.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior, and I accept the time that was given to me," he said.

After the deal was announced, Clarett looked at his mother, who was sobbing and holding his 8-week-old daughter while sitting next to his girlfriend.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said he was pleased with the agreement.

"Our view all along was that the conduct demanded a prison sentence, and that's been accomplished," O'Brien said. "It's in a range that will allow him to get his life back together after his release."

The concealed-weapon charge was from Clarett's Aug. 9 arrest after a highway chase with police who found four loaded guns in Clarett's sport utility vehicle. His attorneys said Monday those guns, which belonged to Clarett, came from his mother's house. They said he had the guns because he was trying to give them to acquaintances to hold for him, but the attorneys did not elaborate.

Clarett, who led Ohio State to the national championship in 2002, had been charged in that police altercation with two counts of failure to comply with an order from a police officer and improper handling of a firearm, in addition to the concealed-weapon charge.

Defense attorneys said they hope Clarett can be placed in a state prison with workout facilities so he can stay in shape for a possible return to football.

"It's been a sobering experience for Maurice to say the least. He's come to terms with certain things," attorney Nick Mango said.

Assistant Prosecutor Tim Mitchell said the plea deal is consistent with how his office handles similar cases and that Clarett did not get special treatment.

Had Clarett been convicted on all charges in both cases at trial, he would have faced three to 34 years in prison, O'Brien said.

Mitchell said he expects Clarett will serve just over 4 years, with his last six months spent outside prison at a community-based corrections facility.

The plea deal was finalized Monday morning after prosecutors met with the robbery victims. Authorities said Clarett flashed a gun and robbed two people of a cell phone early Jan. 1. One victim said all he wanted was an apology, but prosecutors were adamant about prison time, Mitchell said.

A victims' assistant from the prosecutor's office read a statement from the robbery victims, who said the ordeal has been hard on all aspects of their lives.

"Mr. Clarett, we hope you will use this opportunity to help someone along the way," the statement said.

Clarett had been drinking heavily on New Year's before the robbery, attorney Michael Hoague said. But the attorney did not explain why Clarett had a gun in his waistband.

"Obviously, that was a bad decision," Hoague said.

The case generated such intense media coverage Clarett's attorneys asked the court to pay for a public opinion poll to determine if an impartial jury could be seated for the robbery trial. Fais denied the request.

Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime in Ohio State's championship game, but that was the last time he played for the Buckeyes as a freshman.

After dropping out of Ohio State, he lost a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the NFL's requirement that players wait three years after high school before turning pro. The Denver Broncos made Clarett a surprise third-round pick in the NFL's 2005 draft but cut him during the preseason.

"It's really a shame that someone puts themselves in that position," Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "I'm just hoping when he does get out that he's learned his lesson and comes back with a mind-set that he's going to be productive [in society]."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

[Viking]

Great, Clarett's going to prison, but guess what? Ray Lewis is still playing football.

[Lodewijk]

I don't. Fuck him in the ass with a wire brush. The guy has been given every opportunity to straighten himself, and chose not to.

What a waste.

I mainly agree with you, but the human part of me hates to see kids with so much going for them paying for their mistakes with prison !I wouldn't wish hardcore prison on my worst enemy, let alone a kid making poor choices. I just wish he had gotten his shit together and worked out in the NFL.

He'll always be remebered by me as the guy that played a major roll in my beloved Buckeyes national title run of 2001. I just hope he doesn't get shanked!

[Menlow]

I wonder where all the people advising him three years ago are today.

If the kid had just stayed in school he'd probably be playing under a fat contract, and may even have an education.

Although he's stayed out of trouble, Mike Williams isn't tearing it up either.

[loveevhsince79]

I mainly agree with you, but the human part of me hates to see kids with so much going for them paying for their mistakes with prison !I wouldn't wish hardcore prison on my worst enemy, let alone a kid making poor choices. I just wish he had gotten his shit together and worked out in the NFL.

He'll always be remebered by me as the guy that played a major roll in my beloved Buckeyes national title run of 2001. I just hope he doesn't get shanked!

Yes, Lode, for that I too am grateful and at times feel bad for anyone who screws up so badly. But, I also remember how he shamed OSU as well, spouting off at the bowl game that the university cared more about football than his friend who had died when he did not go by the book and file the proper papers to go to the funeral. IMO, he is a poster child for someone who takes no responsibility for their actions. To top all this off, he's going to prison when he just had a baby girl born. How great is that? Poor little thing has barely made it into the world and daddy's in jail.

As Menlow mentioned, where is his buddy Jim Brown? Another stellar human being arrested how many times for beating his wife. That would certainly be someone I want to take advise from rather than a person like Tressel.