Clarett loses bid to be in draft

Jim Tressel said the player's regaining NCAA eligibility is 'far-fetched.'
COMBINED DISPATCHES
WASHINGTON -- Running back Maurice Clarett will not be in this weekend's NFL draft after losing a pair of last-ditch appeals before the Supreme Court.
The former Ohio State player and Youngstown native filed separate emergency appeals with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Justice John Paul Stevens. But both were rejected Thursday, and the athlete's lawyer said he will not make a third try.
Neither justice ruled on the merits of Clarett's claim that the National Football League rule that bars him from entering the draft because of his age is arbitrary and anti-competitive, robbing young players of an opportunity to enter the multimillion-dollar marketplace.
But the justices refused to consider a lower court decision that put the lawsuit on hold, leaving Clarett's name out of the NFL draft that will begin Saturday.
Justice Ginsburg said Clarett still could get to the NFL this year since the league has expressed a willingness to promptly hold a supplemental draft if Clarett prevails in his lawsuit.
Challenging three-year rule
Clarett, who is two years out of high school, is challenging the NFL's requirement that players wait three years after high school before turning pro.
His attorneys cited a court ruling that allows Major League Baseball players to move among teams, and other court decisions that opened the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and the now-defunct United States Football League to younger players.
The issue is pending before 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, which put on hold a lower-court ruling that said the NFL can't enforce its three-year rule.
The NFL contends younger players are not physically ready to play professional football and may harm themselves by over-training or resorting to steroid use.
"From the NFL's perspective this was never really about Maurice Clarett. It was about a rule that has served the NFL well, served fans well and served players well for many years," said NFL attorney Gregg Levy.
Standout freshman year
After graduating from Warren Harding High, Clarett helped Ohio State to a national football championship as a freshman in 2002, but he was ruled ineligible as a sophomore for accepting money from a family friend and lying about it to NCAA and university investigators.
Clarett, meanwhile, is in limbo. His chances of regaining his NCAA eligibility and returning to Ohio State would be "far-fetched," according to Buckeye coach Jim Tressel.
"From an academic standpoint, unless the NCAA really changes its posture about academics, I think it would be difficult," Tressel said.
A Clarett victory at the Supreme Court would have helped another college player as well: wide receiver Mike Williams of Southern California, who also is seeking to get into the draft in violation of the three-year rule.
"The NFL may have been successful in keeping them out of Saturday's draft, but there's always the possibility of the supplemental draft," said Williams' agent, Mike Azzarelli.