The Writing Was on the Wall
June 8, 2011While We’re Waiting… Tribe Magic Disappearing.
June 9, 2011Maurice Clarett had an exceptionally interesting interview with Dan Patrick this morning. The former Ohio State Buckeyes runner-turned-prisoner-turned-UFL-er has a lot of experience with the sometimes problematic culture surrounding NCAA football. There were more than a couple of revelations delivered during the fifteen minute conversation.
When talking about Ohio State’s problems, Clarett didn’t really blame anyone specifically as he cast a shadow over everyone. “In Columbus Ohio you’re treated like a celebrity,” he said. “So, it’s not a Terrelle Pryor problem. It’s not a Jim Tressel problem… It’s just the culture of the whole system.”
When digging deeper though, Clarett did end up pointing the finger mostly at players and boosters who would meet individually throughout a typical NCAA career. “There’s no secret regime. There’s no secret congregation of people who sit around at Ohio State and gives young guys money… Anything that a player goes and gets is based on him and who he meets in the community.”
Clarett went on to talk about Jim Tressel more specifically. “The coaches and the university has no control over what the young guy’s doing.” And then, “People respect Jim Tressel because he’s a man.. a man’s man. The guy has integrity. He has class. I google Jim Tressel every day and you have reputable people sticking their necks out there for him like he’s a good man who got caught in a bad situation. You can’t be a fraud for thirty years. It’s impossible… It’s wrong for him to get done like that.”
Initially that might seem like a defense of Jim Tressel. Clarett made it obvious that he still likes and respects Jim Tressel. Even if it isn’t truly a valid defense for Tressel lying and withholding information from the NCAA it does help to acquit him of some of the more smearing words that attempted to paint him as a disingenuous beacon of false piety.
Clarett finally went on to talk about his own history and the claims made about his time with Ohio State. On a NY Times report that he received preferential treatment from a professor, Clarett said it was on him. He said that he procured all that on his own. Patrick then asked him if he could have gotten a car his freshman year and Clarett said only if he wanted to go get that on his own.
At every step an older, more mature Mo Clarett released the institution of responsibility other than as a participant in the NCAA athletic system. Clarett made it obvious that everyone is to blame from the NCAA all the way to the individual players who ignore right from wrong in their immaturity, desperation and whatever else drives them to break these rules.
The damage is done at Ohio State. There is no putting the genie back in the bottle. I am encouraged to see this kind of storyline protruding from the mess though. It is good that this has gone from a story trying to demonize coaches and players. In the end, that is just a distraction from the larger issue that is the NCAA system as a whole where goals and benefits are seemingly so misaligned.
23 Comments
Ironically, he’s probably the ONLY guy in this whole story – including the media that writes the story – with any credibility.
“the more smearing words that attempted to paint him as a disingenuous beacon of false piety”
What a ridiculous sentence! Did your thesaurus explode after that one Craig?
Why so much hate on the writers of this site, i called them out once a long time ago, and they handled it well, but to continue to poke holes in the articles they write is absurd, if you dont like how they write the story then visit another blog…
Keep up the good work fellas…
I dont want to take over these comments on this article… but Ill address #3 really quick:
1. This site revolves around criticism of Cleveland sports figures, players, coaches, teams, etc… its great, I read it daily. I read an over the top sentence that makes me LOL and I comment on it, thats not hate in the least… its the beauty of blogging.
2. After re reading your comment a few times… I must admit, I can understand why you are sympathetic to people who’s writing gets criticized, I’m sure you had lots of red marks on your papers in school.
3. I understand what Craig was saying with that sentence, just a little over the top in terms of use of “sophisticated words.” Not sure the motivation behind making a simple concept a complicated one!
Lol!
I am commenting on a blog, not writing a research paper!
Just glad you have enough time in your day to read my comment more than once!
I read this site for the Cleveland Sports Content, that is it, not to relish in the fact someone who wrote the article may or may not have written an over the top sentence.
No one appreciates your comments knocking the guy who is blogging…
@PGP
what school’s offer blogger editing as a major? Does the job pay well?
I heard that interview this morning. Clarett also admitted that he had lied about Tressel in 2002-2003 because he didn’t like Tressel and wanted to take him down.
@Mr C
I heard that as well, i just feel all this as a whole is more of an instituion problem (NCAA) versus a OSU or Big Ten problem. Paying the athletes will not fix this issue, but brining the hammer down hard on a big school (SMU Style) i believe would send a strong message. I just hope it is not OSU, it should be Auburn..
@PGP it was a reference to the hit-piece in SI that used equally colorful language to claim that Tressel was a fraud behind his goody goody image because he made mistakes. I don’t have problems with investigative pieces, but the way SI attempted to assassinate Jim Tressel’s character as a human being beyond NCAA violations really bugged me.
Clarett wasn’t/isn’t an angel but he was another victim of the “quick to judge” media. Fans/society just took over from that point.
I was watching “ABAO” on STO and Mr. Drennan said that after lawyers that sports journalists were probably the second least likable positions (or to that effect). I couldn’t agree more ironically I find Drennan to be one of the biggest homers on TV. Not to mention whiner/complainers.
@8-“I just hope it is not OSU, it should be Auburn..”
I’m no Auburn fan but how do you figure? The NCAA was looking into the allegations against Cam Newton so the school said “Hey, uh, can we play this guy?” (paraphrasing of course) and the NCAA gave them the thumbs up.
I’m not sure how much you heat you can throw at Auburn after their compliance with the NCAA. I think it would have to take a lot more covered up info to rekindle that fire under Auburn.
I agree though, the only way to stop this is for the NCAA to really gut check someone as an example.
Before we go too far down this road of SMU-style death penalties, let’s just be really clear that what happened at OSU (or Auburn, for that matter) is not anything close to what happened at SMU. There is no valid argument of comparison.
Oh, I see where you were coming from Craig… so in that case, we’re on the same page!
I did not read the whole SI piece. But in my opinion, Tressel is only guilty of lying to the NCAA. He’s a good man. Good coach.
Check out Jay Bilas’ recent tweets regarding the issue of the NCAA and its outdated ideas of amateurism.
And I bet tools like Bruce Hooley and the interns on WKNR won’t even mention Clarett and his defense.
@JM – maurice has always played great defense (reference to strip of Sean Taylor)
That is true!
I still don’t get the anger at the media in all of this, particularly SI.
I thought the SI article was rather tame and generally fair. Most of it was already public knowledge so most of the “revelations” were far from earth shattering. It just came out at the perfect time to cash in on the existing scandal. It was the news of the day and the sports media reported on it.
Sensationalistic? Yeah, I’ll give you that. But lacking credibility (or worse)? I just don’t see it. Why all the vitriol?
I give Mo some credit here, it would have been easy to pile on Tressel and everyone else. It SEEMS like the guy has turned over a new leaf, accepting responsibility for his actions instead of blaming others. Good for him.
“I google Jim Tressel every day”
Time well spent..
GOOGLE IS NOT A EUPHEMISM, SCOTTY.
A coworker of mine suggested that the only way to stop players from accepting inappropriate recompense from boosters, et. al. is to somehow convince the NFL to delay their pro eligibility for every infraction. Take away the “run to the NFL” option that the players have but schools don’t.
Craig, if ‘disingenuous beacon of false piety’ had been enclosed in some punctuation then PGP (and others) could have more easily identified it as being pulled from another source.
Aside from any gramatical conversation, and the introduction of randomly inserted SAT words in an otherwise nicely fluid article; I agree with the annoyance of media driven (and seemingly ‘agendacized’) campaigns to portray persons in a specific light. Typically negative, with the ‘Tebow-nian’ exceptions.
I am no huge Tressel homer, but I do think that what he portrays as a leader, and influencer of youth, is primarily upstanding
Okay – need to get this off my chest. I am pissed beyond belief over this whole thing. tOSU is not the only team with issues…you want to find out about other programs – go investigate and you will. It’s a joke. All this has done is hardened my love.
Reminds me of a little GNFR:
Get in the Ring! Get in the Ring!
And to all you poes…hmm…well?
Get in the Ring! Get in the Ring!