Clarett Wins NFL Draft Challenge

[Human Fly 0]

From Sportsline:

 

Suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was ruled eligible Thursday for the NFL Draft by a federal judge who concluded the league's rule violates antitrust laws.

 

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ordered the NFL to let Clarett enter April's draft.

 

Clarett, 20, played just one season at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship. He was barred from playing in the 2003 season for accepting improper benefits from a family friend and then lying about it to investigators.

 

Clarett sued the NFL last summer to challenge the league rule that a player must be out of high school three years for draft eligibility. Thursday's ruling, if not successfully appealed, could allow teenage football stars to take advantage of the marketing and business opportunities available to young athletes in other sports.

 

Alan C. Milstein, a lawyer for Clarett, called the decision "a total victory" and said Clarett "was thrilled." Clarett was traveling to New York for a news conference later Thursday, Milstein said.

 

The NFL and its lawyers did not immediately respond to telephone messages, though an aide in the league office indicated a statement would be released later Thursday.

 

The league had argued Clarett should not be eligible because its rule resulted from a collective bargaining agreement with the players and is immune from antitrust scrutiny. The NFL also argued its rule is reasonable and Clarett cannot bring such a lawsuit.

 

"While, ordinarily, the best offense is a good defense, none of these defenses hold the line," the judge wrote in a 70-page ruling.

 

She said Clarett could bring the lawsuit because he was fighting a policy that excludes all players in his position from selling their services to the only viable buyer -- the NFL.

 

"The NFL has not justified Clarett's exclusion by demonstrating that the rule enhances competition. Indeed, Clarett has alleged the very type of injury -- a complete bar to entry into the market for this services -- that the antitrust laws are designed to prevent," she said.

 

Clarett's lawyers had called the NFL's rule arbitrary and anticompetitive, arguing it robbed players like Clarett of an opportunity to enter the multimillion dollar marketplace.

 

The lawyers cited a court ruling letting baseball players move among teams, and other court decisions opening up the NBA, NHL and now-defunct USFL to younger players.

 

Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards as a freshman. Current NFL rules would prevent him from entering the draft until 2005.

 

The court ruling comes a day after Ohio State said it is investigating a report that a benefactor of Clarett's was gambling while in daily contact with the star running back.

 

Athletic director Andy Geiger said Wednesday he was "obviously concerned" about the allegations against Bobby Dellimuti, who calls himself a father figure and friend of the Clarett family.

 

"We will look into this matter and will support and cooperate with any and all investigations," Geiger said.

 

On Thursday, Scheindlin said the league's justifications for its rule "boil down to the same basic concern: younger players are not physically or mentally ready to play in the NFL."

 

Yet, the judge said, less restrictive alternatives are available, such as testing each player's physical and psychological maturity.

 

"Age is obviously a poor proxy for NFL-readiness, as is restriction based solely on height or weight," she said.

 

Scheindlin suggested NFL maturity tests could provide valuable information to teams deciding on draft selections.

 

"In such a scenario, no player would be automatically excluded from the market and each team could decide what level of risk it is willing to tolerate," she wrote.

 

Now the question is what kind of position will he be drafted in. I know alot have said that he is not ready, and I doubt he is (especially after taking a year off). But I do not see him lasting past the first round.

[the pinjockey 0]

I'd use a late second round pick on him. He didn't really bowl me over as a elite back when I saw him play and he appears to be injury prone. Not worth using a real early pick in what appears to be a very good draft. If it was a weak draft I might risk a 1st rounder, but not this year.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I wouldn't draft him at all.

[the pinjockey 0]

He should beg and plead to be allowed back in school for another year and improve his stock.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

He's already said he's going back to OSU regardless of how the case goes.

[Human Fly 0]

He's already said he's going back to OSU regardless of how the case goes.

Do you honestly think he will? Is it even for sure that he will be allowed to?

[starvenger 0]

He's already said he's going back to OSU regardless of how the case goes.

Well that's good to hear. Assuming they allow him to play.

 

To be honest, I'd like to see them have education as one of the qualifiers for draft eligibility. If you've got 3/4 of the required credits for graduation, you can enter the draft. This will never happen, of course, but it'd be nice to see.

[the pinjockey 0]

I'll believe he isn't entering the draft once the deadline for underclassmen passes. He has probably been told though that he isn't going to be a top 10 pick.

[lomasmoney 0]

Well I mean the kid did have a point, that they can't deny you the right to pursue football as a career, i mean being a football player does not require a special license or level of education like say a doctor or lawyer. If NHL players can play at 18 and 19 and tennis players go pro at 15 years old, I don't see why a 19 kid can try to play in the NFL. I mean he probably will admit that he is not ready, but I respect him for fighting for what he thought was right, and I go to Michigan

[MrRant 0]

The NFL is a private entity though. They have the right to setup whatever rules they want. No different then a employer asking for X years or more of experience. You can't sue them because and they are denying your right to be programmer because oyu don't have the experience.

[nl5xsk1 0]

How long until some 18 year old kid that thinks he's hot shit because he runs for mad yards for some high school in Florida or Texas, so he thinks he's good enough to skip college (or is too stupid to pass the SATs) and go pro right away? And how long after that does some 245 lb linebacker runs over that 185 lb 18 year old kid and seriously injures him?

 

To compare football to the other sports where young players go pro is stupid. You don't get hit at all in tennis or golf, and the hitting in both basketball and hockey is minimal compared to the NFL. And even in those sports (NHL & NBA especially, and men's tennis as well) the young kids are normally physically dominated for a while. A kid that goes pro too early will be a child playing among men, and will get hurt as a result.

[2GOLD 0]

The NFL had a job requirement but I guess that doesn't matter. In that case, I think I should be a lawyer. They can't TELL me they can't hire me cause I don't have the experience because obviously that doesn't matter.

I demand to be a lawyer, right now!

 

I hope the NFL owners and coaches show this kid up and don't draft him ever. Just let him finish his next season at Ohio State and then don't even draft him. He obviously has an ego problem and will be nothing more than a special team player in the NFL anyway.

 

Don't draft him, just let him sit and rot.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

The NFL is appealing...but I hope Clarett wins.

 

No one beats the NFL...so...go Clarett.

[Vern Gagne 0]

With the NFL appealing. I doubt Clarett would even be allowed to enter this years draft. The appeal will take a few months. By that time the date for entry would of passed.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Let him in so he can get DESTROYED by the first linebacker he happens across.

[Vern Gagne 0]

Clarett's over 220 lbs. Physically he's big enough to play in NFL. Mentally is a different story.

[Youth N Asia 0]

I don't think a judge has any place ruling in something like this. It's a good rule for the NFL to have. And I hope teams take the "goddamn crybaby factor" into consideration before people pick him.

[sfaJack 0]

I'm still hoping he blows out his knee beyond any hope of repair before he even steps on a game field. Fuck Maurice Clarett.

[nl5xsk1 0]

No one beats the NFL...so...go Clarett.

What about Al Davis? He's beat the NFL every time that he's gone to court with them.

 

Actually, now that I mention it, maybe Clarett would fit in well in Oakland.

[Dr. Tom 0]

I liked the rule and thought it was great.

 

The problem is, the judge is right: it's restraint of trade, pure and simple. The NFL is the only place in the world where someone like Clarett can play and get paid "the going rate" for his skills. If the NFL had a pile of facts supporting their age restriction, then they might have won. But they don't, and the only reason they have is the speculation that someone Clarett's age isn't ready to play in the NFL.

 

The NBA had a similar rule, until Spencer Haywood challenged it and won. Had he been a bust, the sports landscape might be different now.

 

I don't like the fact that Clarett won. I think he's an immature jackass whose own abhorrent behavior backed him into a corner at OSU, so he sued the NFL for a quick and easy fix to his self-created problems. It's doubtful he'd ever be allowed to play NCAA ball again, even if he went back to school, so trying for the NFL was his only out. He hit the full house on the river, and now the NFL draft is forever changed.

 

I'd expect Clarett to be a first or second-round pick.

[Guest Choken One]

I don't understand this...If he claims he wants to go back to OSU...Why even bother with this?

 

I still question why he didn't just take Brown's Advice and play DII at Grambling...

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I hope he flops miserably. Like Ryan Leaf. High schoolers have ruined the NBA and I don't want that happening to the NFL.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

the hitting in both basketball and hockey is minimal compared to the NFL.

 

Yeah, okay.

[Brush with Greatness 0]

EDIT: I just hit you mofo's with a double post.

[ant_7000 0]

From Sportsline:

 

Suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was ruled eligible Thursday for the NFL Draft by a federal judge who concluded the league's rule violates antitrust laws.

 

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin ordered the NFL to let Clarett enter April's draft.

 

Clarett, 20, played just one season at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship. He was barred from playing in the 2003 season for accepting improper benefits from a family friend and then lying about it to investigators.

 

Clarett sued the NFL last summer to challenge the league rule that a player must be out of high school three years for draft eligibility. Thursday's ruling, if not successfully appealed, could allow teenage football stars to take advantage of the marketing and business opportunities available to young athletes in other sports.

 

Alan C. Milstein, a lawyer for Clarett, called the decision "a total victory" and said Clarett "was thrilled." Clarett was traveling to New York for a news conference later Thursday, Milstein said.

 

The NFL and its lawyers did not immediately respond to telephone messages, though an aide in the league office indicated a statement would be released later Thursday.

 

The league had argued Clarett should not be eligible because its rule resulted from a collective bargaining agreement with the players and is immune from antitrust scrutiny. The NFL also argued its rule is reasonable and Clarett cannot bring such a lawsuit.

 

"While, ordinarily, the best offense is a good defense, none of these defenses hold the line," the judge wrote in a 70-page ruling.

 

She said Clarett could bring the lawsuit because he was fighting a policy that excludes all players in his position from selling their services to the only viable buyer -- the NFL.

 

"The NFL has not justified Clarett's exclusion by demonstrating that the rule enhances competition. Indeed, Clarett has alleged the very type of injury -- a complete bar to entry into the market for this services -- that the antitrust laws are designed to prevent," she said.

 

Clarett's lawyers had called the NFL's rule arbitrary and anticompetitive, arguing it robbed players like Clarett of an opportunity to enter the multimillion dollar marketplace.

 

The lawyers cited a court ruling letting baseball players move among teams, and other court decisions opening up the NBA, NHL and now-defunct USFL to younger players.

 

Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards as a freshman. Current NFL rules would prevent him from entering the draft until 2005.

 

The court ruling comes a day after Ohio State said it is investigating a report that a benefactor of Clarett's was gambling while in daily contact with the star running back.

 

Athletic director Andy Geiger said Wednesday he was "obviously concerned" about the allegations against Bobby Dellimuti, who calls himself a father figure and friend of the Clarett family.

 

"We will look into this matter and will support and cooperate with any and all investigations," Geiger said.

 

On Thursday, Scheindlin said the league's justifications for its rule "boil down to the same basic concern: younger players are not physically or mentally ready to play in the NFL."

 

Yet, the judge said, less restrictive alternatives are available, such as testing each player's physical and psychological maturity.

 

"Age is obviously a poor proxy for NFL-readiness, as is restriction based solely on height or weight," she said.

 

Scheindlin suggested NFL maturity tests could provide valuable information to teams deciding on draft selections.

 

"In such a scenario, no player would be automatically excluded from the market and each team could decide what level of risk it is willing to tolerate," she wrote.

 

Now the question is what kind of position will he be drafted in. I know alot have said that he is not ready, and I doubt he is (especially after taking a year off). But I do not see him lasting past the first round.

Im glad that he won. That means Fitzgerald is eligible too. Whats up with Clarett haters? Talking about he isn't big enough but weighs 220. Warrick Dunn is a small guy (185lbs) and he's doing alright, Clarett might be trainning this whole time for all we know. But I think he'll go 2nd or 3rd round.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

It isn't his body that isn't big enough, its his brain. In the NFL, moreso than anyother sport, being a team player and having a head for the game is more important that talent. That is the difference between the Tiki Barbers and the Ron Daynes. Clarett appears to be the latter.

[Bored 0]

Im glad that he won. That means Fitzgerald is eligible too. Whats up with Clarett haters?

This ruling had no impact on Fitzgerald as the NFL was going to allow him to enter the draft and officially did today. There was just some technical issue of whether he did really meet the eligibily requirements and he did.

 

The main reason why people are hating on Clarett as if your fan of basketball you've seen college basketball be stripped of all of its star power due to players entering the NBA out of high school or being one year and done college players. By proxy the quality of play in the NBA has reached horrendous levels as most of these players are not ready to play at the NBA level. We as fans don't want to see the same thing happen to college football and/or the NFL.

[ant_7000 0]

Im glad that he won. That means Fitzgerald is eligible too. Whats up with Clarett haters?

This ruling had no impact on Fitzgerald as the NFL was going to allow him to enter the draft and officially did today. There was just some technical issue of whether he did really meet the eligibily requirements and he did.

 

The main reason why people are hating on Clarett as if your fan of basketball you've seen college basketball be stripped of all of its star power due to players entering the NBA out of high school or being one year and done college players. By proxy the quality of play in the NBA has reached horrendous levels as most of these players are not ready to play at the NBA level. We as fans don't want to see the same thing happen to college football and/or the NFL.

Most of the high schoolers and some underclassmen of NBA have been successful players, some of the greats were underclassmen i.e Jordan, Magic, and Isaiah it wasn't a big deal back then. Yeah, the NBA is lacking fundementals but its not as bad as people think it is. I think over coaching and no floor space is more of a problem for the NBA.

[Vern Gagne 0]

I don't think this open a huge flood gate. Maybe some guys failing out of school, or someone like Mike Williams who has the NFL size will leave.

[Swift Terror 0]

I heard the press conference yesterday with Clarett and his lawyers. They avoided questions regarding whether he wants to enter the draft or return to Ohio State. They did this because Ohio State has said as long as Clarett meets the requirements (going to class, etc) that were settled from his previous problems AND he does NOT declare for the draft, then he can play this fall. If he does declare, he will be ineligible. Clarett (well, his lawyers) is worried that if the NFL's appeal is successful and they have already declared, then they are screwed on both fronts.

 

Sadly, Clarett seemed to still blame the university for his problems, although he did accept personal responsibility for his lies, etc. This is one screwed up sh*thead.