COLUMBUS Clarett's suit 'misguided' say Ohio State attorneys

The suspended running back filed a lawsuit against the school on Friday.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Maurice Clarett's federal lawsuit accusing Ohio State of violating the suspended tailback's privacy rights is "procedurally irregular" and "misguided," the university said Saturday.
Clarett filed his lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Columbus. It followed a complaint Clarett filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court last month, seeking information from Ohio State to help determine if he should sue the university.
Clarett had asked the court to allow his attorneys to take sworn statements from university officials about a charge that he filed a false police report. The complaint said the university, by withholding information, had subjected Clarett to prosecution.
With Ohio State's response to the complaint in county court not due until Oct. 30, Clarett's decision to file the federal lawsuit was "procedurally irregular, at best, and misguided," Ohio State attorney Virginia Trethewey said in a statement.
"The Ohio State University has vigorously protected the educational records of this student-athlete and his Sept. 18 discovery lawsuit has generated no information that would lead Mr. Clarett to believe that Ohio State violated his privacy," Trethewey said.
Percy Squire, Clarett's Columbus attorney, did not return phone calls seeking comment Friday and Saturday.
Clarett's side
The latest lawsuit says the player discussed the police report with Ohio State and NCAA officials while they investigated whether the running back had violated any NCAA rules.
The lawsuit says Clarett's statements were "protected educational records" and should not have been released to police without a subpoena or Clarett's consent.
Clarett is seeking at least $2.5 million in damages from the university. He also asks for a court order preventing prosecutors from using the information as evidence in Clarett's misdemeanor case.
Clarett is accused of filing an exaggerated theft report with campus police in April after a dealership's car he was borrowing was broken into. The police report said cash and stereo equipment worth thousands of dollars was taken.
Clarett has pleaded innocent to one count of falsification, a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clarett is suspended for his sophomore season for accepting money from a family friend and lying about it to investigators. He is separately suing the NFL, asking a judge to throw out a rule that prevents him from entering the draft until he has been out of high school for three years.