Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Follow the Mind of Maurice Clarrett at mauriceclarrett.wordpress.com
I've always been intrigued by the MSNBC documentary series: Locked Up, because I'm always curious to see how different inmates cope with life in prison. Now, I can follow the mind of one of America's most famous inmates: Maurice Clarrett, on his blog: The mind of Maurice Clarett. (But be forewarned: he doesn't want to talk about prison life-because he's above that topic.)
Clarrett is one of many rishing young athletes who took the wrong path, and became the poster child for deliquent players. Clarrett made a splash on the college football scene when he ran for 1,237 yards and scored 16 touchdowns en route to a national championship during his freshman year at Ohio State University.
After an unsuccesful attempt at early entry to the NFL, Clarrett was forced to wait until 2005 to be drafted, and the Denver Broncos rolled the dice in the third round. His professional career was short-lived (one month, te be exact) .Clarrett never played one down of NFL football and his life spiraled downward, and he was arrested multiple times for armed robbery. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, where he passes his blog notes to friends and family, who post the entries for him.
Here are some highlights from Clarrett's most recent entries:
"I created this site for other reasons. There are too many young men and women that need hope and inspiration. To a large degree, prison doesn’t exist to me anymore."
Judging from that entry, you might assume Clarrett's matured and gained some perspective but continue reading his inconsistent remarks and you'll realize he still has a long road ahead.
"I am able to control the content and I am educated enough to accurately express myself. I am able to distinguish to people in a unique fashion that football is just something that I do. Football is not Maurice Clarett. The essence of my writings support humanity. I am in prison and I have the spirit of a champion."
Apparently, Maurice is a multi-dimensional guy, let's hear about the other areas in life where's he's striving to make an impact.
Remember that when you mention Ohio State and you begin to mention some of the “greats,” don’t forget to mention Maurice. When you put the photos in your memorabilia books, don’t forget #13. I inspired my ‘02 class. I made them believe. I was our leader and source of inspiration. I was the big brother. 14-0 felt good and please remember that I closed the deal in the big game.
Ok, maybe he does stil care about his football legacy. What are his other pursuits?
"I am a businessman. I’m a sovereign being. I am a symbol of hope. I am not a symbol of shame. I am not embarrassed by any of my life’s events. I am not afraid to keep evolving. I am strong both mentally and physically. I understand how to use my influence. I understand how to use my respect and power."
If Maurice Clarrett considers himself a businessman, a sovereign being and a source of hope, I'm glad that he's ALREADY in prison where he can't turn our recession into the next great depression. I wonder when he will publish his first motivational book. Maybe they'll sell it right next to the Tony Robbins collection, or he could star in another remake of The Longest Yard.
By Matt O'Hern at 04:16 PM | Comments (1)
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