PressEthic

An article in the Sports section of the New York Times on Tuesday discussed the impending imprisonment of Maurice Clarett, former freshman football standout at Ohio State University and repeated troublemaker. He played only one season (his freshman year) at Ohio State, in which he helped his team to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Miami with a touchdown in double overtime. So why are we still talking about him?

After his inaugural year with the Buckeyes, Clarett was suspended from the team after getting into some trouble with the law (he lied on a police report, among other things), and so began his dramatic attempt to gain the limelight in any way he could. He quit college, appealed to the NFL to become eligible for the draft in 2004 (and was denied on the grounds that he had not been out of highschool long enough), sued the NFL (and lost), and, finally, was drafted in the 2005 draft to the Denver Broncos. So, after a string of ridiculous events, he got what he wanted... that is, until he was cut from the team before the first game of the season. The article explains:

At 22, instead of starring for a football team the way he did at Ohio State, Maurice Clarett is headed for at least three and a half years in prison.

Clarett, the star of the Buckeyes' national-chammionship team in 2002, pleaded guilty yesterday in Columbus, Ohio, to two charges - aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. Judge David W. Fais sentenced him to seven and a half years in prison, with the possibility of applying for release after three and a half years. When he leaves prison, he will serve five years probation.

My question is: Why are we so obsessed with all things cheating that this has become important news? Why is scandal so sexy? Maurice Clarett had one good season of college football, and there have been countless articles devoted to his soap-opera-like attempt to achieve fame and fortune in the realm of professional football. Some say that negative attention is attention, nonetheless, and negative PR is certainly keeping Clarett in the spotlight. The New York Times article closes with a quote from Jim Terry, owner of The Mahoning Valley Hitmen in Youngstown, Ohio, where Clarett had agreed to play indoor football:

"We're not going to see this kid until he's 26... for a guy 22, the sentence he got is such a long time.

"It's sad. I'd like to see him get one more chance. He never hurt anybody. But maybe this is the best thing for him. It's either going to change him for the better or build a monster. He's never done anything but football, and that's over now."

Another chance? Hasn't he had enough chances? He never hurt anybody? What then, is aggravated robbery? Am I supposed to feel sorry for him? There are plenty of other standout athletes who would kill for the chances that Clarett has had. There are plenty of talented young football players who are also law-abiding citizens. Let's put this one to bed, already.