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Morning Coffee - Sep 19, 2006 | 9:14:40
posted by: Josh
Maurice Clarett accepts plea bargain. Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett agreed to a plea bargain that will keep him in prison for at least 3 ½ years. Clarett has made a number of terrible choices since he led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, and perhaps some jail time is what he needs to get his life back on track. As this story makes its way across the front sports pages of many major newspapers in the country, I???m bothered that the tale of one former student-athlete will impact what the general public thinks about student-athletes in general. I understand the need for reporting stories like this one, but it would be nice if a positive story or two about some of our 380,000+ student-athletes hit the stands every once in a while. Instead of thinking that student-athletes were no-good, spoiled brats who have everything handed to them on silver platters, people would realize that the majority of these kids are leaders on their campus and in society. Montana coach receives heart transplant. Montana women???s golf coach Joanne Steele underwent heart transplant surgery on Monday. Steele, who garnered Big Sky coach of the year honors after leading the Grizzlies to the league championship last spring, was afflicted with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disorder that thickens the heart and prevents blood from pumping to the rest of the body properly. On this date in 1974, Stetson men???s soccer player Marty Ryczek set a Division I record with 18 points in a game against Southeastern Bible. Ryczek scored eight goals and tallied two assists in the victory. 
CommentsThe Maurice Clarett story has been building for years. It all comes down to one simple question in my opinion - should student athletes be able to leave for the NFL when they feel deemed ready? The way I look at it, Mr. Clarett was in superb shape when helping Ohio State University in their winning ways. Then he was kicked off the team and try to enter the NFL draft where he was denied access. So he had to take a year off from football. If the NCAA and the NFL would have let Mr. Clarett enter the draft would he be in jail today? That is a question that no one will ever be able to answer. This question will be thought about throughout the nation. Mr. Clarett would have been able to go in the first round of the draft at top shape, and maybe not been in the situation that he is today. So, in the end should players be able to enter the draft when they feel right or should they have to finish so much of their degree before leaving? This is a debated question that will remain. Andrew Hay Maurice Clarett had been making poor choices even when he was still wearing an Ohio State uniform. He decided to challenge the process and it didn't work out for him. If he had followed the rules and stayed in school until the NFL permitted him to be drafted, he may have seen a different ending. If he had signed a huge NFL contract, that doesn't mean he would have steered clear of trouble. In fact, he may have been even more destructive. The NCAA had nothing to do with allowing Clarett to leave for the NFL, that was the league's call on that one. They can't force anybody to stay in school if they don't want to be in school. It was more an issue of the NFL wanting to continue the status quo of using the NCAA more or less as a "de facto Minor League" for them. Plus, having players go the three years in school at a big program does help to take some of the rough edges off of a player, or help expose some of those that are always going to be trouble, Marcus Vick anyone? Clarett wasted his god given talent. For someone that is that good at football and could have made millions upon millions of dollars a year, why? I hope that his time in jail will make him realize what he is missing out on. Post a Comment |
  
It means that two very good teams with very good coaches made it to the final game.
- Marie
   
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