OSU Athletic director: Clarett's lawsuit will not affect attempt at reinstatement

Clarett's attorneys want to take sworn statements from OSU's athletic officials.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger said Saturday that a legal maneuver by Maurice Clarett will not affect the school's effort to have the suspended tailback reinstated.
Clarett has asked Franklin County Common Pleas Court to allow his attorneys to take sworn statements from university officials about a charge that he lied to police about the value of items stolen from a car. The information will help determine if Clarett should file a lawsuit charging that his rights were violated, according to a complaint filed Thursday.
The university, by withholding information, subjected Clarett to prosecution and possibly deprived him of his property rights under the U.S. Constitution, the complaint said.
Geiger said he was not surprised by the complaint.
"I don't know that it's against the school. I think it's discovery in a trial situation. I think they're trying to build a defense and that's understandable. It's not alarming," Geiger said before Ohio State's game at Ohio Stadium against Bowling Green. "It's just part of the system. They're building a defense for the misdemeanor charge that was filed by the city attorney. I don't see it as anything beyond that."
Percy Squire and Lloyd Pierre-Louis, the lawyers who filed the complaint, did not return phone messages seeking comment Saturday.
The charge
The city attorney and campus police accused Clarett of filing an exaggerated theft report with campus police in April after a car he was borrowing was broken into. The police report said cash and stereo equipment worth thousands of dollars was taken from the car, owned by a used car dealership.
Clarett has pleaded innocent to a misdemeanor falsification charge, which has a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Clarett was suspended this season from the national champion Buckeyes after Ohio State said he violated NCAA bylaws by receiving improper benefits and lying to investigators.
An Ohio State compliance officer told The Columbus Dispatch that a Warren businessman gave Clarett a $500 check and paid at least $1,000 of his cell phone bills.
Geiger said the $500 came from more than one check and confirmed that "a cell phone or cell phones are part of this."
Bobby Dellimuti, a 38-year-old caterer, gave the financial assistance to Clarett last year, said Heather Lyke, who oversees NCAA compliance for Ohio State. Dellimuti is a central figure in the NCAA investigation of Clarett. Lyke and Dellimuti have not responded to requests for comment by The Associated Press.
Initial response
Lyke and Geiger have said they never suspected Clarett of violating eligibility rules until the NCAA contacted them by e-mail on May 5.
When he first learned of the severity of the allegations against Clarett, Geiger tried to find out from college athletics' ruling body if he was in the right ballpark in terms of a penalty.
"I called them and I said this is what I've got, would I be in the range of a year, or more," Geiger said. "They said yes, that's where you are."
Geiger said he still hopes Clarett can return to the team eventually.
He also said he hopes Clarett will begin classes at Ohio State this week when fall quarter starts.