FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Ohio State sophomore running back Maurice Clarett should be allowed to hop in his borrowed customized ride and cruise to the NFL next year.
If not yesterday.
The NFL's rule barring athletes from entering the draft until three years after their high school graduation is among the most archaic and unreasonable in all of sports. By any grading scale, the NFL gets an "F" in common sense.
It's a rule that contributes to the perpetration of questionable, if not fraudulent, "student-athletes."
Clarett is a talented football player who appears academically unmotivated. One former associate professor told The New York Times that Clarett walked out on a test after he looked at the questions and didn't know any of the answers. Hey, that happens. Sometimes, as a college student, you're distracted by jobs, relationships or the Dave Matthews Band. You meant to study. You didn't. You failed.
Except, of course, Clarett didn't fail. He was allowed to take an oral exam later and remained eligible for Ohio State football's championship run. Wasn't that convenient?
This flap escalated when it was reported Clarett received some nice gifts from prep-to-NBA legend and friend LeBron James.
It escalated further when Clarett reported some items were stolen from his car, which wasn't his car and, by the way, the customized TVs and electronic gizmos weren't his, either, and he exaggerated their value. Sorry.
All of those issues will be sorted out this fall by some combination of the court system, the NCAA infractions committee, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
The core of the problem is this: Clarett is playing college football in order to play pro football. Yet, unlike his friend James, he can't skip the bogus pursuit of a degree and bolt to the pros anytime.
He has to wait until the spring of 2005. And that's unfair.
The NFL imposed the age restriction in cooperation with the players union, so there are two entities to blame. Members of the players union probably aren't too fond of the idea of more competition for limited job opportunities. Let the kids wait, they say. Most 18 or 19 year olds aren't physically ready for the NFL anyway.
It's assumed the NFL couldn't win a court challenge because a similar rule by the NBA was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1971. It's also assumed that the NFL would appeal the case long enough to prevent the player from winning until he was already eligible under the current rules.
A challenge to the NFL rule will come from a player who has nowhere else to turn, with an attorney willing to work for free (or less, given the necessary hours of preparation) and for free publicity. It'll be a player who becomes ineligible to compete in NCAA Division I-A and has the skills to be a potential pro.
Whether that rule-challenging player is Clarett remains to be seen. He's not participating in fall drills until the NCAA gives Ohio State an all-clear signal.
The real shame is, if Clarett is declared ineligible to play this fall and can't regain his eligibility in the spring, he still won't be allowed to enter the 2004 NFL Draft.
What are his options then?
Being James' bodyguard in Cleveland? Joining the Canadian Football League? Auditioning for "American Idol"?
If Clarett wants to pursue the NFL early, he should have the option. It doesn't take a college education to figure that one out.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6473116.htm
If not yesterday.
The NFL's rule barring athletes from entering the draft until three years after their high school graduation is among the most archaic and unreasonable in all of sports. By any grading scale, the NFL gets an "F" in common sense.
It's a rule that contributes to the perpetration of questionable, if not fraudulent, "student-athletes."
Clarett is a talented football player who appears academically unmotivated. One former associate professor told The New York Times that Clarett walked out on a test after he looked at the questions and didn't know any of the answers. Hey, that happens. Sometimes, as a college student, you're distracted by jobs, relationships or the Dave Matthews Band. You meant to study. You didn't. You failed.
Except, of course, Clarett didn't fail. He was allowed to take an oral exam later and remained eligible for Ohio State football's championship run. Wasn't that convenient?
This flap escalated when it was reported Clarett received some nice gifts from prep-to-NBA legend and friend LeBron James.
It escalated further when Clarett reported some items were stolen from his car, which wasn't his car and, by the way, the customized TVs and electronic gizmos weren't his, either, and he exaggerated their value. Sorry.
All of those issues will be sorted out this fall by some combination of the court system, the NCAA infractions committee, Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
The core of the problem is this: Clarett is playing college football in order to play pro football. Yet, unlike his friend James, he can't skip the bogus pursuit of a degree and bolt to the pros anytime.
He has to wait until the spring of 2005. And that's unfair.
The NFL imposed the age restriction in cooperation with the players union, so there are two entities to blame. Members of the players union probably aren't too fond of the idea of more competition for limited job opportunities. Let the kids wait, they say. Most 18 or 19 year olds aren't physically ready for the NFL anyway.
It's assumed the NFL couldn't win a court challenge because a similar rule by the NBA was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1971. It's also assumed that the NFL would appeal the case long enough to prevent the player from winning until he was already eligible under the current rules.
A challenge to the NFL rule will come from a player who has nowhere else to turn, with an attorney willing to work for free (or less, given the necessary hours of preparation) and for free publicity. It'll be a player who becomes ineligible to compete in NCAA Division I-A and has the skills to be a potential pro.
Whether that rule-challenging player is Clarett remains to be seen. He's not participating in fall drills until the NCAA gives Ohio State an all-clear signal.
The real shame is, if Clarett is declared ineligible to play this fall and can't regain his eligibility in the spring, he still won't be allowed to enter the 2004 NFL Draft.
What are his options then?
Being James' bodyguard in Cleveland? Joining the Canadian Football League? Auditioning for "American Idol"?
If Clarett wants to pursue the NFL early, he should have the option. It doesn't take a college education to figure that one out.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6473116.htm
