Ohio State Citations Don't Involve Clarett

[PatsWin2002]

Ohio State Citations Don't Involve Clarett

Last Updated:
05-18-05 at 9:24AM

A lack of evidence apparently deflated former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett's allegations that coaches and boosters arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and thousands of dollars.

The NCAA on Monday outlined nine violations against Ohio State, but only one involved the school's football program _ quarterback Troy Smith's acceptance of $500 from former OSU booster Robert Q. Baker in May 2004.

None of Clarett's most explosive allegations _ that coach Jim Tressel orchestrated a system in which players received free cars, improper academic assistance and cash for no-work jobs _ were verified.

The NCAA, however, has refused to say whether it interviewed Clarett after he made his allegations in an article in ESPN The Magazine in November.

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said Tuesday that once investigators begin probing an athletic department, they thoroughly examine all allegations.

"In the end, they follow where the evidence leads them," he said.

Clarett, who was drafted by the NFL's Denver Broncos on April 23, could not be reached for comment. He didn't speak to reporters at Broncos camp Tuesday.

Clarett's agent, Steve Feldman, said Tuesday that Clarett wants to move on and that the Ohio State situation is "over with."

Feldman said he does not know if NCAA investigators contacted Clarett after the ESPN The Magazine. He also defended Clarett.

"Just because their report doesn't substantiate the claims doesn't mean that he wasn't telling the truth," Feldman said.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said Monday that he considers the Clarett matter over. He declined to elaborate when contacted for an interview Tuesday.

NCAA investigators concluded that the most serious charges of wrongdoing at Ohio State involved the men's basketball program, which is facing seven suspected NCAA violations.

The NCAA alleges that both former head basketball coach Jim O'Brien and former assistant Paul Biancardi failed "to monitor the conduct and administration" of the basketball program from July 1998 to May 2002.

Another NCAA finding involves an orthodontist allegedly providing free and discounted services to five women's basketball players.

Ohio State has until July to respond. A hearing in front of the NCAA infractions committee is scheduled for October.

Last June, Ohio State fired O'Brien for arranging a $6,700 payment to the family of a recruit. In December, the school self-imposed a one-year postseason tournament ban on the men's basketball program.

Christianson declined to speculate on any possible sanctions that might come out of the October hearing with the NCAA infractions committee.

Gene Smith and Ohio State President Karen Holbrook said this week it's possible that the men's basketball program, now headed by coach Thad Matta, will face NCAA sanctions.

Rather than penalize the current coaches and players, Smith said the university might strip the program of its 1999 Final Four appearance, two Big Ten co-championships and four NCAA tournament appearances from 1999 to 2002, when the alleged violations occurred.

The NCAA takes self-imposed punishments into account when considering sanctions.

[FADERPROOF]

OSU's basketball team got reamed because O'Brien is a dirtbag, but man am I glad that the football program wasn't touched.

Good job Clarett, way to try and throw us under the bus because you ****ed up your own college career.

[SoCalBronco]

Patsie you always find the most controversial articles :)

:)

[FADERPROOF]

I love it when I get to gloat...

[Atlas]

OSU's basketball team got reamed because O'Brien is a dirtbag, but man am I glad that the football program wasn't touched.

Good job Clarett, way to try and throw us under the bus because you ****ed up your own college career.

What Ohio State is doing is not any worse than what every other University is doing! The fact that these Universities are making millions off these college players but yet they can't even buy them airline tickets to go home, that is a disgrace. Every player on scholar ship should be able to recieve a maximum of $500 a month spending money. That would cut out 90% of all these cheating allegations.

[FADERPROOF]

What Ohio State is doing is not any worse than what every other University is doing! The fact that these Universities are making millions of these college players but yet they can't even buy them airline tickets to go home is a disgrace. Every player on scholar ship should be able to recieve a maximum of $500 a month spending money. That would cut out 90% of all these cheating allegations.

I'm just glad that nothing about our football program was true, that was my main concern.

Heard an interesting story from RB Robert Smith while he was at Ohio State: back when he played, ticket stubs for OSU games would have "Free wendy's cheesburger and coke when presenting this ticket stub to any local Wendys" on the back of the ticket. So after every home game, him and other Ohio State football players would walk around the parking lot to find any ticket stubs that fans have just tossed on the ground so they could have something to eat that night. He said that they needed a free meal like that anytime they could get it, so they would use this technique after every game to cut down on grocery expenses and save soem money because they didn't have much of it.

The whole paying student athletes is a fine line, if anything they should up how much their scholarship is, so players can get a refund on the money that they dont spend on the semester/trimester. That's how it worked at my college at least, I had a 1000 dollar scholarship, my classes only costed 800 bucks so they gave me a 200 dollar check as a refund, wouldn't be a bad idea to raise scholarship rates for these guys so they can sign up for classes and get money back from it.

[Drek]

I'm just glad that nothing about our football program was true, that was my main concern. Don't you mean nothing was substantiated? And to that extend, one incident of booster money was cited. Not exactly a clean slate, and I wouldn't be surprised if what Clarett said was true, just covered up well enough.

The whole paying student athletes is a fine line, if anything they should up how much their scholarship is, so players can get a refund on the money that they dont spend on the semester/trimester. Wouldn't work under the current NCAA rules. Players are only allowed scholarships up to tuition + room and board of their school, athletic scholarships aren't like regular scholarships. My university gave student athletes $500 per semester of text book/school supplies money only valid at our university bookstore and the NCAA threw a hissy fit, thats how up tight they are about student athletes recieving anything outside of the basic scholarship.

Pretty lame if you ask me, they should be given all the tuition, room and board, and supplies money that they need, as well as some extra spending money. Student athletes shouldn't have to get a part time job with how much money schools make off of them and how much time they expect them to commit to the athletics department. I would personally like the NCAA to mandate a tutoring program for college athletes that dictates a monthly stipend based on their grades or how much time they spend getting assitance with their harder classes. Show more commitment to academics, get more money. Hell, even extend it to comunity and charity activities. Give them positive incentives for doing the right things.

[FADERPROOF]

Don't you mean nothing was substantiated? And to that extend, one incident of booster money was cited. Not exactly a clean slate, and I wouldn't be surprised if what Clarett said was true, just covered up well enough.

1 incident was held up, we knew about it last December and suspended Troy Smith fior our bowl game against Oklahoma State, and he'll serve the remainer of his suspension in week one against Miami(OH). That booster is no longer allowed any contact whatsoever with The Ohio State University.

Nothing new came out about Ohio State football, all other allegations that Clarett made the NCAA couldn't find. Given Clarett's track record with lying and the way he felt mistreated at Ohio State, I am going to say that he lied, because that's what bitter liars do. Funny how if you ask Clarett about it now, he just says "I've moved on," and "That's in the past now." Bull**** man, if you really made true claims about OSU and the NCAA shot them down, you would still be defending your stance and allegations, now it's "in the past."

Whatever Maurice, you lied about OSU because you ****ed up your college career and wanted to blame someone else for it.