Like I said in the prior thread about this, drugs must be involved. It's so hard to believe this guy went from being offered guaranteed money by the Broncos to this; all so quickly. I wish he would open up and tell everyone what caused him to make so many bad decisions. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2325724 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Former Ohio State star tailback Maurice Clarett was indicted on charges of robbing two people behind a bar and carrying a concealed weapon, a prosecutor said Friday. Clarett is accused of flashing a gun and demanding property from a man and a woman early Jan. 1. Police said he got into a sport utility vehicle with two men after he was identified by the bar owner, who happened to come out into the alley. No one was injured, and only a cell phone was taken, police said. Clarett, who led Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, was charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and four lesser robbery counts, Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said. He only would be sentenced on two robbery charges if convicted, but O'Brien said the extra counts are "backup charges" to give a jury options. If convicted of the two most serious armed robbery charges, he would face up to 26 years in prison. Clarett's attorney, William Settina, said he might issue a statement later Friday. He refused to discuss details of the case. Clarett, 22, was sought by police for almost two days before he turned himself in about the time the Buckeyes were completing a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 2. He posted $50,000 bond and was released from jail. Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and scored 16 touchdowns as an Ohio State freshman in 2002. His final touchdown, in the second overtime of the Fiesta Bowl, gave the Buckeyes a 31-24 upset of top-ranked Miami for the national title. The prosecutor urged the two people who were reportedly with Clarett in the SUV to come forward. Authorities are continuing to search for them and have not identified them, O'Brien said. They could face charges of being accomplices.
And the rollercoaster is going dowwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!! What a ride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah man, it sucks. I'm a big Ohio State fan since my dad went there. I remember all the awesome memories from the championship year...and now...
"For goodness sake", you don't think it's tragic to go from turning down guaranteed money from an NFL team to being indicted on robbery charges? It's pretty obvious he was at the scene because he was identified by the owner of the bar. Regardless of how the case ends up, Clarett's life is tailspinning down pretty fast.
Sure being indicted is a bad thing and his life is seems to be in turmol. He may have indeed been there but that's not the same thing as a guilty verdict. Innocent until proven guilty doesn't mean anything anymore, I guess...
In the world of public opinion, what doesn't mean anything anymore is the jury's verdict. Look at O.J. Look at the cops who beat the snot out of Rodney King. Look at Andrea Yates. What about the guys who bricked Reginald Denny? Robert Blake anyone? For better or worse, the jury's verdict doesn't close the issue anymore. Whatever the verdict, there will be naysayers claiming justice wasn't done. One more example that hits close to home (Houston): Are you waiting for the verdict on Key Lay and Jeff Skilling?
At the very least I want to see the evidence against him at trial, and get a picture of what really happened. I understand money can make a mockery of the judicial system but being indicted is meaningless to me. A grand jury will indict anything.
In this specific case, I believe the owner of the bar (who knows Clarett personally) was an eyewitness at the scene. If you want to bother, search for links on the initial reports. Looks pretty bad. I've read a few articles and bizarre is the perfect word to describe this thing. And very sad. Somehow we (as a society) have got to figure out a way to help young men make better decisions.
