MAURICE CLARETT OSU probes academic boost

The New York Times says the running back was given special treatment.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger denied that freshman football star Maurice Clarett received preferential academic treatment.
"There are no special considerations for student-athletes," Geiger said Sunday following a report that Clarett received help passing a class before Ohio State won the national championship.
The New York Times reported Sunday that the running back passed African-American and African Studies 101 by taking two oral exams.
Ohio State President Karen Holbrook said the university will investigate athletes' academic performance and relationships with tutors and faculty starting today.
Holbrook stressed that no one at the university had lodged a complaint about the class, but that any wrongdoing found in the investigation would be reported to the NCAA.
"We recognize that the spotlight will always be on the national champion," she said. "Being in the spotlight makes it even more important for us to respond quickly and appropriately to these allegations."
Professor involved
Paulette Pierce, an associate professor, told the newspaper she worked directly with Clarett and administered the exams after he walked out of the midterm exam in the fall quarter. Pierce said she has taken similar steps with students who are not athletes.
Calls placed by The Associated Press to the home of Clarett's mother in Youngstown went unanswered Sunday. He did not respond to the Times' requests for an interview. A message was left Sunday at a telephone listing for Pierce.
In a statement released through his attorney, Clarett said he was "disappointed" in the newspaper's story.
"Yes, college has been difficult for me sometimes, like it is for lots of freshmen," he said in the statement in today's editions of The Columbus Dispatch. "I respect Professor Pierce, and I appreciated the assistance she gave me. I do not believe I broke any rules in receiving that assistance."
Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel is on vacation in Florida and unavailable for comment.
All players who participated in the Fiesta Bowl were academically eligible, Geiger said, adding he was not aware of any NCAA violations.
Geiger and incoming interim provost Barbara Snyder will lead the investigation, Holbrook said.
Faculty members are required to report any improper academic behavior such as cheating, Snyder said, adding no such reports have been received.
The athletic department requires that all tutors sign an ethics pledge that they won't inappropriately assist a player or do someone else's work, Geiger said.
"Let me indicate that I don't think in this case that Maurice has done anything wrong," he said. "He didn't promulgate this in any way."
Getting started
Clarett finished high school a semester early and enrolled at Ohio State in January 2002.
Despite numerous injuries, he set school freshman records with 1,237 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns, and the Buckeyes beat Miami 31-24 in double-overtime for the national title.
But Clarett also has been involved in controversy. Days before the Fiesta Bowl, Clarett accused school officials of lying when they said he hadn't filed paperwork to qualify for NCAA emergency funds to fly home for the funeral of a slain friend.
In October, Clarett received dozens of angry e-mails from fans after a magazine quoted him as saying he was considering challenging the NFL rule that prevents underclassmen from entering the draft.
Ohio State has had problems with academics in the past.
In 2000, a year before coach Jim Tressel took over for John Cooper, receiver Reggie Germany was declared ineligible for the Outback Bowl after recording a 0.0 GPA for the fall quarter.
In the most recent data from the NCAA, covering the class that started in the 1995-96 school year, Ohio State was 10th in the 11-school Big Ten with a 60 percent graduation rate among athletes. Only Minnesota was worse, with a 54 percent graduation rate.
The Ohio State football team had a 28 percent graduation rate.