News Today In Usa

The incredible saga of Maurice Clarett

Tom Friend, writing in ESPN The Magazine, has a stunning description of the events leading up to Maurice Clarett's latest brush with the law. If you happened to miss it, Clarett -- perhaps looking to sign on as a free-agent with Hezbollah -- was arrested this week.

Already facing trial for armed robbery, his bail was raised to $1.1 million after a traffic stop. Clarett was allegedly transporting a loaded AK-47, three other firearms, and an open bottle of vodka. The 6-foot, 245-pound ex-running back reportedly refused to get out of his SUV after a chase. Arresting officers attempted to tase him, but his bulletproof vest presumably rendered that tactic less than effective. Multiple officers were needed to handcuff him; the Sun-Times reports that he kicked the doors of the transport vehicle on the way to the police station.

Anyhow, that's the background of his most recent brush with disaster. Friend reports that Clarett called him the night of the arrest. I would recommend reading the entire article, but the highlights are fascinating in a sort of holy-crap-is-that-tragic sort of way:

* On July 17, his girlfriend Ashley had given birth to a baby girl
* Several months ago, Jim Tressel had called Clarett, offering his help despite the latter's accusations that OSU offered cars-and-grades-for-football
* After he was kicked out of OSU, he moved to LA and hooked up with management types in the rap community
* The managers arranged for a trainer to start working Clarett out; Maurice weighed 256 pounds and wanted the entire gym shut down while he worked out so he could focus - he ended up quitting when the trainer started pushing him too hard
* He switched to David Boston's trainer (Charles Poliquin), who denies supplying Clarett with illegal substances -- Boston, though, has been suspended for testing positive for steroids -- and moved to Phoenix
* His sponsors, though, were in LA, and Clarett wanted to be closer to them, so he quit Poliquin's regimen
* Denver coach Mike Shanahan, who believes that his system makes the running back rather than the other way around, took the troubled player in the third round of the draft, but things turned sour fast
* With Denver, he carried the same water bottle around until the team became suspicious it was Grey Goose vodka
* He got into a shouting match with the Broncos' 11-year strength coach Rich Tuten; he then demanded the team replace Tuten
* Clarett rejected the Broncos' offer of a $416,000 signing bonus, against the recommendations of his former agents
* After 18 days on the sidelines with a groin injury, he was cut, having never even carried the ball in a preseason game
* Friend reports that his associates in the rap industry had financed him in LA and Phoenix, figuring he'd repay them with NFL and endorsement wages (does that explain the weaponry and Kevlar?)

Friend paints a portrait of an incredibly insecure athlete who has made an uncanny series of bad choices. One hopes he gets the help he needs.

ESPN: Clarett's call came two hours before arrest