Maurice Clarett
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Maurice Clarett is an American football player born on October 29, 1983.
Clarrett starred at Ohio State University for one season, rushing for 1,237 yards (a school record for freshmen) and scoring 18 touchdowns while leading the Buckeyes to a 14-0 record and the 2002 national championship.
Clarett is perhaps best known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL's rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the entry draft. After being suspended by Ohio State for the 2003 athletic year due to refusal to cooperate with investigators, he attempted to enter the professional draft. Federal Judge Shira Scheindlin initially ruled that the NFL could not bar Clarett from participating in the 2004 NFL Draft. This decision was later overturned by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Clarett's higher appeal was refused by the Supreme Court
In February 2005, he participated in the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. During a press conference, he uttered the phrase: "It's a humbling thing being humble." After running for a disappointing 4.72 and 4.82 seconds in the 40-yard dash, he refused to participate further, and was referred to as "Slow-Mo" by the sports media. Ohio State declined to allow him to take part in a private work-out for pro scouts in Columbus because it wanted to avoid a "circus" situation.
Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the 101st pick by the Denver Broncos in a widely unexpected move.