A New Standard in Low Standards

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Maurice Clarett was charged Tuesday with lying about items stolen from a car he had been driving.

Clarett was charged with misdemeanor falsification, city attorney spokesman Scott Varner said. If convicted, Clarett would face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

ESPN.com, Sept. 9, 2003

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, accused of lying to NCAA and school investigators, will be suspended for the entire season, athletic director Andy Geiger announced Wednesday.

Associated Press, Sept. 10, 2003

Even before Clarett was charged and suspended, Doug Williams, the football coach at Grambling, held a press conference at which he invited Clarett to come play at Grambling, saying:

“He didn’t shoot nobody. They didn’t arrest him for drugs. He didn’t rape nobody. Ain’t no problem with the kid.”

I’ve got several issues with that:

  1. Bad grammar.
  2. Coaches are not allowed to solicit athletes from other schools to transfer, are they? That’s got to be a violation.
  3. A coach who feels that as long as his athletes are not raping or killing anyone, everything’s jake.

Did I mention that Doug Williams is black?

Obvious point, but I can’t imagine Jim Tressel, Clarett’s current coach at Ohio State, holding a press conference like that and being able to keep his job through the ensuing shitstorm.

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