COLUMBUS, Ohio -Former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett accused coach Jim Tressel, his staff and school boosters of arranging for him to get passing grades, money for bogus summer jobs, thousands of dollars in cash and loaner cars. The school immediately labeled the charges as lies.
Most of Clarett's allegations, in an article by ESPN The Magazine, were covered as part of an NCAA probe that found Clarett lied to investigators, leading to his suspension fromthe team.
Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger was not surprised by the accusations, saying Clarett had vowed to try to hurt the program.
In moments of frustration during the investigation
(Maurice) might say something like 'I can blow this whole program up ' or something like that
and so we would then say
'OK
blow it up. Tell us what you know
' Geiger said at Tressel's weekly news conference.
Clarett led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2002, then was suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the 2003 season.
Clarett then challenged the NFL's rule preventing players from being in the draft less than three years after they graduate high school, winning an initial federal court ruling but losing several appeals.
Friends and family members say Clarett has been working out at an undisclosed location with a personal trainer in preparation for the 2005 NFL draft. He has not spoken publicly in months.
I have had a chance to read the article
and the allegations as they were mentioned are
simply
untrue. Period
Tressel said.
According to the magazine article, Clarett said Tressel set him up with a loaner car.
Geiger said Tressel did try to help Clarett buy a car through the dealership that leases cars to several Ohio State coaches and administrators. But Clarett and his mother did not meet with the dealer to make arrangements to buy the car and the dealership came to Columbus several days later to repossess it.
Geiger said Tressel's actions did not break any NCAA rules and that the coach had put other players in touch with the dealership.
Clarett also said members of Tressel's staff introduced him to boosters who slipped him thousands of dollars in cash -the better he played, the more cash he would receive.
When you'd leave
