Court Officially Ends Clarett's...

May 24, 2004 - A federal appeals court formally ruled in favor of the NFL’s draft eligibility rule in former Ohio State University player Maurice Clarett’s lawsuit, citing federal labor policy in permitting the NFL and the Players Association to set rules for when players can enter the league.

Our Newspapers.com Football History Headline of the day comes from the Tampa Tribune on May 25, 2004 with their headline of:

The former Ohio State star runner had declared himself ready for the NFL Draft after his outstanding freshman season for the Buckeyes, but the rule in the NFL is that a player must be three calendar years removed from high school before gaining eligibility. Clarett had other motivations to join the NFL other than financial ones. He had been suspended after his initial NCAA season, where he scored 16 TDs and helped Ohio State win the National Championship. The NCAA suspension was related to Clarett accepting money from a family friend and then lying about it to both Ohio State and the NCAA. Maurice Clarett would finally become eligible for the NFL draft a year later in 2005.

The Denver Broncos took him with the final pick in the 3rd round (101st overall) but after inking a deal against his agents wishes and having an unimpressive training camp as he arrive 20 pounds over weight, the Broncos cut him on August 28, 2005. He never played a down in the NFL but did play some minor league professional football.