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AP: Maurice Clarett files to enter draft


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Maurice Clarett files to enter draft

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1684724

NEW YORK -- Maurice Clarett's lawyers contended Friday that the NFL bars teenagers from playing professional football to perpetuate a free farm system for the league.

The lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin to allow Ohio State's suspended tailback to enter next year's NFL draft. The judge hopes to rule by Feb. 1.

The lawyers said in court papers that the NFL supports the NCAA college football system to save the league tens of millions of dollars in development and training.

Clarett sued the NFL this year, challenging the league ruling that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft.

Ohio State suspended Clarett for the season. He is accused of accepting money from a family friend and lying about it to NCAA and university investigators.

He ran for 1,237 yards and led Ohio State to a national championship as a freshman last season, but is not eligible for the draft until 2005 under the current NFL ruling.

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Originally posted by Demoralized Canadian Hog

I don't want him to win his case, but at the same time I can't wait until he enters the league and the likes of either Ray Lewis or Lavar Arrington plants him into the turf and makes him reconsider his decision, while he is in a coma.

"coma"

thats a little much

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I don't even think this guy can last in the NFL!

Just look back to his last college year of play? Wasn't he always hurt there! I don't see it changing any in the NFL and he has been off a whole year to boot!

OVER RATED is all I can say but if he is a FA rookie we should give him a look maybe 7th round but that is a reach.

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Clarett's lawyers have a good complaint:

However, as noted by Clarett's attorneys, the formal language of Section 12.1(E) of the bylaws is: "For college football players seeking special eligibility, at least three NFL seasons must have elapsed since the player was graduated from high school."

Clarett graduated from high school early, on Dec. 11, 2001. That's eight weeks before the 2001 NFL season concluded, including the playoffs. So if one includes the league's 2001 season along with the 2002 and 2003 seasons, Clarett should be permitted to enter the upcoming draft, his attorneys contend.

"In Clarett's case, he would be ineligible under the press release rule but eligible under the Rule as actually drafted by the NFL," wrote Clarett's four-person legal team led by New Jersey anti-trust lawyer Alan Milstein.

I think the NFL will let him in just so they don't have to change their rules.

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The saving grace will be his eventual draft position. Many NFL teams are going to have him low on their boards for RB, for no other reason than the question of his character and maturity. Heck, he couldn't even stay healthy or out of trouble at Ohio St.

If he goes second day of the draft, future "kids" will think twice about coming to the NFL. The only reason to bypass college, or parts of it, is with the assurance you're a 1st round pick and the temptation of millions in signing bonus. If he's eventually a 4th rounder for instance, those millions disappear and he'll have to prove it on the field the duration of his contract. My opinion is that he's a bust, oft-injued blockhead destined to fail.

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Say what you will about Clarett, but the boy can play. Yes, he was often injured at OSU but when he played he was in a league of his own. His attitude can and will be changed with time. I think he is a first round pick and there is no way he falls to the second round. Teams won't let this guy fall past the first round, no more than Buffalo took a gamble on McGahee and Clarett has way less of an injury problem than he has.

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