Judgment Day

Today's private workout could be Clarett's last chance to win over NFL scouts.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
WARREN -- On the morning before the biggest day of his newest client's life, Jeff Luchs was walking through an Arizona airport talking to a reporter by cellphone when he noticed something odd.
A few feet in front of him, a prisoner, being escorted by a federal marshal, began fighting with the marshal.
And winning.
"The guy was kicking the marshal's [butt]," he said.
So Luchs -- who stands at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds -- quickly got off the phone and, along with his fellow agent Steve Feldman, jumped into the mix, held the prisoner down and helped the marshal get control.
Minutes later, he called the reporter back and continued the interview.
"I've never seen that in an airport," Luchs said, laughing. "Here's your headline: Clarett's agents subdue prisoner."
It's a true story. Really. It happened on Wednesday morning, the day before Luchs and Feldman are scheduled to join former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett in Warren for a private workout in front of NFL scouts.
"My wife thinks I'm crazy for getting involved with that," Luchs said, referring to the fracas, not Clarett's situation. "But you have to be crazy to do what we do."
Well put.
Overhauling his image
Luchs and Feldman, who signed on with Clarett just weeks before February's NFL combine in Indianapolis, are keeping their fingers crossed that the former Warren Harding standout can do today what he didn't do in February -- run strong 40-yard dash times -- and continue to do what he did do in February -- namely, repair his image.
So far, so good.
"He's growing up every day," Luchs said. "People forget how young he is. He's younger than the seniors coming out. But he handled himself with class at the combine.
"This is a guy who, after his workout, when he didn't do as well as he hoped, still sat down with the NFL Network for an interview because he had already made the commitment. The whole weekend he was mature, humble, classy and respectful and those are words you wouldn't historically put in the same sentence when you were talking about him before."
Of course, those things mean little if the 21-year-old Clarett of Youngstown's South Side can't impress scouts today. After posting disappointing 40 times ranging from 4.7 to 4.8 seconds in Indy, Clarett needs to run closer to the 4.5 range today to have a chance of being selected on the first day of April's draft.
Plans change
Originally, Clarett wanted to use Ohio State's facilities for his private workout, but the Buckeyes' brass turned him down. As did Youngstown State and Akron. Akron, incidentally, was already planning on holding a pro day on Friday for standout quarterback Charlie Frye, but wasn't interested in getting involved with Clarett.
So Clarett's agents turned to Harding and coach Thom McDaniels. McDaniels said yes, despite not having talked to Clarett in more than 11 months.
"All we required was for them to sign a waiver that said we wouldn't have liability if he gets hurt," said McDaniels, who will miss the workout because he's vacationing in Florida. "He's our player. And I did everything I could to help set it up and make sure all the I's are dotted and the T's are crossed before I left."
Problem is, Harding doesn't have world-class facilities for an NFL workout. The closest all-weather track is at aging Deemer Park -- where the Raiders hold track meets -- which is, needless to say, not the best place to hold a workout on the last day of March in Ohio.
"We're going to do anything we can to help him get ready," said Harding assistant Matt Richardson, who will oversee the workout. "We would do the same thing for any other former player."
If it rains, the workout will be moved indoors to Farmer Jim's soccer complex in Cortland, which might actually be better suited to running a fast 40 time. Both places will be closed to media, although Clarett might speak to reporters afterward.
Key day
Since Clarett has not played college football in two years -- he was suspended his sophomore year and missed his junior year after losing a lawsuit against the NFL that would have allowed him to enter the draft early -- he needs to show he's got the necessary speed to play in the pros.
Luchs and Feldman adjusted his training over the past few weeks, working mainly on speed and agility, rather than strength, but no one knows if it's helped.
"We'll see what happens," Luchs said. "But the bottom line is, no matter where he's drafted, it's going to be far below his true value. He's capable of so much more.
"We're not so concerned with this draft as we are with getting Maurice ready for minicamps and playing at the NFL level."
McDaniels has been openly critical of the people advising Clarett the past two years -- "Justifiably so," he said -- but said he feels "much better" now about Clarett's choice of agents and lawyers.
NFL ability
McDaniels, who coached at Canton McKinley before coming to Harding, has coached several eventual NFL players, including former Ohio State standouts Mike Doss (safety, Colts) and Jamar Martin (fullback, Dolphins). In addition, his son, Josh, is the quarterbacks coach for New England.
He knows NFL talent when he sees it.
"I can't speak for him now, since he missed the last two seasons, but when he played for me and for [Buckeyes] coach [Jim] Tressel and for me, he demonstrated NFL ability," McDaniels said. "And I think if he had played three years at Ohio State, and then ran the times he did in Indy, he would still have been drafted high."
But that's in the past and Clarett can't change his past. He can, however, change his future.
And today's workout is the first step.
"All the cards are on the table," McDaniels said. "He needs a very good workout to sustain any interest he has from NFL teams."
No matter what happens, though, Clarett will be welcome in Warren, Richardson said.
"He's done a lot for our community and for our football team," Richardson said. "He'll always be a Raider."
scalzo@vindy.com