ROBBERY CHARGES Clarett posts bond; Jan. 12 hearing set

Clarett could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
STAFF/WIRE REPORT
COLUMBUS -- Maurice Clarett of Youngstown, former Ohio State football running back, appeared in court in handcuffs and jail-issue clothing Tuesday when a judge set bond at $50,000 on charges that he robbed two people with a gun in an alley behind a bar.
Clarett, 22, who helped the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2002, posted 10 percent of the bond set by Judge Amy Salerno of Franklin County Municipal Court. He did not enter a plea and did not speak in court. His next hearing is Jan. 12.
He was released from the Franklin County jail Tuesday afternoon, a deputy sheriff said.
"We are looking forward to investigating the allegations," Clarett's attorney, William Settina, said outside court. "That's all I can say."
Possible sentence
Each of the two charges of aggravated robbery carries a possible sentence of three to 10 years.
After spending the better part of two days wanted by police, Clarett surrendered Monday night, about the time the fourth-ranked Buckeyes were completing a 34-20 win over No. 5 Notre Dame in Tempe, Ariz., for their third Fiesta Bowl victory in four years.
Clarett was wanted since early Sunday, when police said he flashed a gun and demanded property from a man and a woman behind the Opium Lounge in downtown Columbus.
Police said he fled with two men in a sport utility vehicle after he was identified by the bar owner, who happened to come out into the alley. No one was injured, and only a cell phone was taken from the alleged victims, police said.
Past trouble
Clarett was suspended by Ohio State and the NCAA for the 2003 season after he was charged with lying to police about the value of items stolen from a car he borrowed. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
OSU suspended Clarett for misleading investigators and for receiving special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend.
Clarett also unsuccessfully challenged the NFL's requirement that players wait three years after high school before turning pro in a case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
He was chosen by the Denver Broncos in last year's draft and signed a contract without a signing bonus. The team cut him in August.
Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel said the day before the Fiesta Bowl that he had recently spoken with Clarett about playing in Europe.
"As I said the last few times people have brought up the subject, my hope would be that he would have an opportunity to go over to NFL Europe and make a comeback," Tressel said Sunday.
Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and scored 16 touchdowns as a freshman in 2002, but has found only hard times since helping the Buckeyes win the national title.
In an interview with ESPN The Magazine in November 2004, Clarett said coaches and boosters arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and thousands of dollars while at Ohio State. None of the allegations was verified, and Clarett never responded to NCAA requests to be interviewed as part of its investigation into OSU's athletic program.