The World According to Oatney

Clarett case is a shame

Former Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett was arrested and maced yesterday, and police found (among other things) that Clarett was wearing a bullet-proof vest, had a bottle of vodka in the front of his vehicle, and had four firearms in his possession. Now I am all for the right to keep and bear, but why did he need four?

I tend to agree with those who are saying that Clarett's problems may go well beyond his being a young punk who thinks that the rules do not apply to him-Maurice Clarett may be mentally unstable. The fact that the Denver Broncos organization and Clarett's fellow Broncos' teammates say they tried to reach out to him but Maurice Clarett would have none of it.

Broncos' Head Coach Mike Shanahan:

"We tried to reach [out to] him quite a bit when he was here," Shanahan said. "What he did have here was a lot of support from our veterans. Our players really tried to take care of this guy and he wanted no part of it. That's one of the reasons why he didn't make our football team."

"I don't think I've ever been around a bunch of guys reaching out to a guy more than Maurice, trying to help him and a guy not wanting that help," Shanahan said. "That's a shame.

"It's just a shame that this has happened to a guy that [had] so much promise, so much ability. I'm not sure what happened, but it's a real shame."

It is a real shame indeed. I know that I've beat the drum on Clarett quite a bit over the years, but truthfully I pity the kid-he needs prayer.

posted by Deacon David Oatney @ 6:53 AM