Suspended Ohio State sophomore tailback Maurice Clarett sued the NFL on Tuesday, challenging the league rule that prohibits players from entering the draft until they are three years removed from high school.
Currently, Clarett, who rushed for an Ohio State freshman record 1,237 yards last season, will not be eligible for the NFL draft until 2005.
“The rule is a restraint of amateur athletes who were strangers to the collective bargaining process,” says the suit, which was filed in a New York federal court.
A statement released by the NFL on Tuesday said the league looks forward to explaining to the court the reasons for the eligibility rule. In addition, the NFL Player’s Association said in a statement on Tuesday that it will not support Clarett’s lawsuit.
Not everyone is opposed to Clarett’s challenge, however.
“If a kid wants to go, let him go,” Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. “If a kid is a great piano player in the band, what do you do with him if he decides he wants to play with the New York Philharmonic? There are always unusual situations.”
Ohio State suspended Clarett for a minimum of one season after an investigation determined he had violated NCAA rules regarding benefits for athletes and lying to investigators. In July Clarett admitted to inflating the value of items that were stolen from a car he had borrowed from a local car dealership.
Despite Ohio State’s undefeated record, the Buckeyes have not enjoyed the same success without Clarett as they had rushing the ball last season. In 2002 Ohio State finished fifth in the Big Ten in rushing offense with an average of 191.3 yards per game. Thus far in 2003, the Buckeyes are averaging 127.8 yards per game, last in the Big Ten.
GETTIN’ PIGGY WITH IT: Iowa isn’t the Big Ten’s flashiest team and, in the words of its own coach, it isn’t the most talented. But if early returns are any indication, it may be the toughest.
The Hawkeyes have touted the conference’s stingiest scoring defense with an average of only 8.2 points allowed per game. Last week, on its way to a 4-0 start, Iowa held Arizona State — which had been averaging 400.5 yards and 30 points a game — to a paltry two points.
“We’re not real gifted in a lot of areas, but our guys are really gritty,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We beat Iowa State two weeks ago and got this trophy they call the Cy-Hawk Trophy. Quite honestly, it looks like something someone made in their basement. It kind of resembles our team: It’s not much to look at, but it’s fun to be around.”
Last week Hawkeyes’ linebacker Chad Greenway was named the Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week, as he posted his second straight 17-tackle performance. Greenway credits his upbringing for being part of the reason for his physical play: He grew up on a 1,200-acre farm in South Dakota where he spent his days handling livestock.
“We tackled hogs quite a bit,” said Greenway, who estimated that his farm had 4,000 pigs. “Loading them up, we had to play a little defense against them.”
HARD TO HANDLE: After a 1-3 start, Illinois might be second-guessing the demanding non-conference schedule it selected.
“We probably could have used a little bit of a lighter schedule, to be honest,” said coach Ron Turner. “I believe in these kids. I believe in what we’re doing. I think I see a determination out of this group to get this thing turned around.”
Despite enjoying 27-point victory against Iowa State in week two, Illinois dropped close games to Missouri, UCLA and California. The Illini lost by an average of 5.7 points per game.
Turner said he attributes untimely turnovers and poor special teams play to the Illini’s lackluster start. Illinois ranks second-to-last in the Big Ten in turnover margin with -0.75 per game.
