Clarett still has time to change

I want you to try something.
Walk around outside of your house (or apartment, or dorm room or cubicle), find the biggest rock you can find and start pounding yourself upside the head with it.
Then, pick up this newspaper and read the latest story about Maurice Clarett.
(I'll give you a second to recover.)
Quick question: Which made your head hurt worse?
When Clarett's problems started two months ago, I don't think anyone thought it would get this bad. I figured he might miss a game or two, but not the whole season. Now it seems like there's no end in sight.
I'll be the first to admit that I don't know Clarett. I've only met him a few times and I'm sure he doesn't remember me. I don't pretend to have an inside scoop on what's going on his head.
I also don't know what it's like to be that talented, to have reporters questioning everything you do, to watch your school make millions off of you and not see a dime.
But I do remember what it's like to be a 19-year-old college student.
And I know I wouldn't trade that experience for all the money the NFL has to offer.
Neither should Clarett.
Time to grow
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't want to see Clarett leave Ohio State. I don't want Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel to throw him off the team. I don't want him to transfer to another school. And I don't want him to join the NFL or even the Canadian Football League.
But I do think he should sit out this season. He should take this year to let his head catch up with his body. Go to class. Be a kid. Play video games and watch movies and go on dates with cheerleaders.
And grow up.
You don't have to be around Clarett for very long to realize that he can be one of the most magnetic people on the planet.
But he can also be one of the most frustrating.
That's the problem with Clarett. You can't seem to get the good without the bad.
The last time I saw Clarett play in person was Warren Harding's Division I regional semifinal loss to Cleveland St. Ignatius.
I was on the sideline when the game ended and as the Raiders stood in line to shake hands with the Ignatius players, Clarett started to walk away. Raiders coach Thom McDaniels yelled at him to get in line, and as he walked through the line, he stared straight ahead, never looking at any of the Wildcats, never shaking anyone's hand.
It's not a good memory, but it sticks out in my mind just like his 400-yard game against Lakewood St. Edward, his electric opener against Texas Tech and his winning touchdown in the national title game against Miami.
Conflicting feelings
When Clarett was running rampant through the Big Ten last year, I felt proud to live in Youngstown. For all our problems, football still gives us a reason to be proud. I wanted him to do well, not just because I was an Ohio State fan, but because he was one of our own.
But this off-season has left me dizzy and confused. I can't understand why someone with so much talent and so much promise would throw it all away.
It's like he's sitting on a winning lottery ticket, but he's too impatient to wait for the store to open so he can cash it in.
But for all the allegations, he still has a chance at greatness. Maybe it's not fair for the NFL to make him wait, but is it really worth it to spend the next year in litigation?
And you know what? If Clarett sticks around, goes to class and makes a few friends, he just might find that college isn't so bad.
On paper, it costs about $70,000 to go to Ohio State for four years. But anyone who has been through college knows that it's worth so much more than that.
Clarett can continue to test his limits and do things his way. Or he can choose the tougher path, and do things the right way.
It's his choice. I hope he makes the right one.
XJoe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.