[NU Sports] Maurice Clarett

[Jeff Beamsley]

I also am not fond of piling on those who are struggling in their lives.

I'm not a big fan of OSU either, but living in SE Michigan very near the
Ohio border, we get a lot of OSU news that doesn't make it out to the
national feeds.  

Tressel may have his faults, but he really did do his best to help Maurice
make the transition from a child to a man.  Tressel had been a sort of
father figure to Maurice and had been involved with him for a number of
years prior to his enrollment at OSU.  Tressel has said that he saw football
as a way to motivate Maurice to do all of the other things that he needed to
do to grow up.  In some ways it would have been better for Maurice if he had
been a little less talented and had a little less time in spotlight.  As it
was, his talent attracted people who told Maurice that he didn't need to
work hard, that he didn't need to go to class, that he didn't need college,
who were willing to pay to be close to him, and ultimately took advantage of
him.   

There was an article in the paper today quoting Shanahan and other Broncos
regarding his time there.  If you recall, Maurice was injured (groin pull)
early in camp and didn't really have a chance to show what he could do.  The
Broncos were fully prepared to put him on their practice squad, give him a
chance to heal, and bring him along slowly.  The reason that didn't happen
is because Maurice rejected all attempts by both the players and the
coaching staff to emotionally become part of the team.  Shanahan said that
the Broncos are one of the most welcoming teams in football, but as a result
they expect everyone to bond with the team.  He said that the door was wide
open and Maurice refused to walk through it.  As a result, they cut him.

They also suspected that he had a drinking problem, but they were fully
prepared to help him with that too. Since that time, he has apparently been
adrift and it appears that he will now do his growing up under the direction
of the courts and penal system.  

In my mind it is tragic, but we have all known people like Maurice who were
their own worst enemies.  I know that that he is still perfect in God's eyes
and hopefully he will come to discover that truth.

Jeff


-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of mlinhardt at netzero.net
Sent: Thursday, August 10, 2006 7:36 AM
To: nwu-sports at tssi.com
Cc: Maureen.Linhardt at plexus.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Maurice Clarett 

I am not fond of tOSU or Clarett, but I am also not a sadist.

I enjoy a level of suffering of my enemies, but eventually I am sated and I
hope they "turn their lives around".  Clarett has already ruined his life it
is unecessary for him to do it again and again.

Clarett, Levar Arrington, and Reggie Bush are the three most amazing college
players I have seen.  A veritable men among boys.

Three plays stand out:
Clarett in the title game chased down a Miami(FL) defender who had
intercepted a pass or recovered a fumble.  He proceeded to strip the ball
and return it for positive yards.  His field awareness, closing speed, and
athleticism were just impressive to watch.

Arrington in the Alamo Bowl vs. Texas A&M was in the backfield on the other
side of the play.  He chased down the run and horse collared him down.  He
did it so easily making the RB look very weak in comparison.

Bush playing some Pac-10 school easily hurdles a defender who is trying to
tackle him waist high.  If he hadn't been headed out of bounds he would
still be running.

That being said none of them are rocket scientists and I will stick with the
whole team efforts by real well-behaved students NU provides vs. the
individual highlight reels.


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