Clarett speaks at Campbell banquet

May 24, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

CAMPBELL

Maurice Clarett’s love for Campbell — and playing running back — began in 1993.

“One of the main reasons I wanted to run the football was because of Shawn Patton,” Clarett said, referencing the late Campbell and Youngstown State back. “I can remember a gentleman — [Patton’s cousin] Corey Floyd — we played youth football together Corey brought me a VCR tape of Shawn.

“It was his high school highlight tape and God rest his soul, but that was the spark.”

These days, the former Warren Harding and Ohio State running back prefers to keep a low profile, but memories of that VHS tape and a conversation with Campbell superintendent Matt Bowen put him back on the podium. On Tuesday, Clarett spoke at Campbell’s All-Sports Banquet.

In an interview with The Vindicator, Clarett said he’s spending the current half of his life doing the behind the scenes work at Youngstown Red Zone, his program that provides counseling to families and youth in the Youngstown area.

“When you’re behind the scenes, you just work. You can be quiet,” Clarett said. “You can move and make things move. You can have in-depth conversations. There’s a lot of responsibility when you’re the face of the program.”

A lot of his in-depth conversations and face-to-face interactions recently have been with Warren Harding quarterback Lynn Bowden. Clarett’s football career ended before the advent of social media and high school football recruiting rankings were in their infancy when he was a Raider, but they do find a lot of common ground.

“I can relate to him because I know what it’s like to be popular. I know what it’s like to run into an enormous amount of power and not know how to store it,” Clarett said. “I know about people tagging at you, be it in social media or in real life and I know the dynamics of people wanting things from you.”

Clarett wants to be the kind of influence to Bowden that he wishes he had growing up. At Campbell, he brought up some of the characters that he encountered from the south side of Youngstown to Columbus. There were the adults who ignored Clarett the troublemaker because of Clarett the football player and the hangers-on on Ohio State who wanted to live the celebrity life alongside him. It got to a point where not even then-Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel could talk him down from the partying. It took an armed robbery conviction in 2006 to set him straight.

Clarett paused asked what the takeaway is from his rise and fall in football. He said there isn’t only one.

Clarett said people must keep growing and challenging themselves to be better people.

“Life is a process and it’s not just for Lynn Bowden, but for everyone actualizing their potential,” Clarett said. “A lot of that comes with people helping others staying of their own way. The world gives everyone gifts and purpose and it’s about staying out of your own way in order to make that thing a reality.”