NC_Rebel
09-23-2003, 11:39 PM
Clarett Sues NFL Over Eligibility Rule
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett filed an antitrust suit against the National Football League Tuesday over a rule keeping him out of the 2004 draft because of his high school graduation date.
At issue is a regulation that bars any player from joining the NFL before he has been out of high school for three years or before he has completed three college seasons.
Clarett, who will turn 20 next month, would not be able to play in the NFL under its current rules until 2005. He graduated from high school in December 2001.
The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks a court order finding the rule unlawful and making Clarett eligible for a supplemental draft to be held within 10 days from the date of such an order.
If a supplemental draft is impractical, it seeks a court order making him eligible for the next year's draft. The suit also seeks unspecified damages.
Clarett was suspended from the Ohio State team earlier this month for at least a year after he was accused of misleading investigators and breaking National Collegiate Athletic Association bylaws on benefits for athletes.
He rushed for 1,237 yards and led Ohio State to a national championship as a freshman last season. He scored two touchdowns in the national championship game last year, a 31-24 win over Miami, but has been at the center of off-the-field controversy since.
An NFL spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&ncid=577&e=3&u=/nm/20030924/sp_nm/nfl_lawsuit_dc
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Suspended Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett filed an antitrust suit against the National Football League Tuesday over a rule keeping him out of the 2004 draft because of his high school graduation date.
At issue is a regulation that bars any player from joining the NFL before he has been out of high school for three years or before he has completed three college seasons.
Clarett, who will turn 20 next month, would not be able to play in the NFL under its current rules until 2005. He graduated from high school in December 2001.
The suit, filed in Manhattan federal court, seeks a court order finding the rule unlawful and making Clarett eligible for a supplemental draft to be held within 10 days from the date of such an order.
If a supplemental draft is impractical, it seeks a court order making him eligible for the next year's draft. The suit also seeks unspecified damages.
Clarett was suspended from the Ohio State team earlier this month for at least a year after he was accused of misleading investigators and breaking National Collegiate Athletic Association bylaws on benefits for athletes.
He rushed for 1,237 yards and led Ohio State to a national championship as a freshman last season. He scored two touchdowns in the national championship game last year, a 31-24 win over Miami, but has been at the center of off-the-field controversy since.
An NFL spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&ncid=577&e=3&u=/nm/20030924/sp_nm/nfl_lawsuit_dc