Maurice Clarett, one of the most infamous figures in Ohio State football history, yesterday failed in his attempt to make a low-key return to campus.
The former star running back - and former prison inmate - began his first day of classes in Ohio State's second summer session. He was quickly recognized, and OSU media relations director Jim Lynch said he received so many calls about Clarett that the school ended up releasing a statement.
"This is a surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State in such a supportive environment," Clarett said in the statement. "I have looked forward to being back in school, and I'm doing my best to fit in with other students. I don't want to be a distraction or nuisance to the football team or to students on campus."
In April, Clarett, 26, was released from the Toledo Correctional Institution after serving about 31/2 years of a 71/2-year sentence for robbery and weapons convictions.
In agreeing to the early release, Common Pleas Judge David W. Fais assigned Clarett to serve four to six months in a dormitory step-down center on Alum Creek Drive. Prisoners sometimes are allowed to leave the center for a job or to take classes.
At the April hearing, Clarett told Fais he planned to finish his college education and run a fitness center for geriatric clients.
Ohio State's student database lists Clarett's major as consumer and family financial services.
Clarett's defense attorney, Michael Hoague, declined to comment last night.
In 2002, Clarett had a stellar year as a freshman for Ohio State and helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship.
OSU suspended him for the 2003 season after he was charged with filing a false police report.
He attempted to enter the NFL draft in 2004 but lost a court fight to do so. Clarett then publicly charged Ohio State with committing NCAA violations, helping lead to an investigation of the football program. The NCAA found one violation, that of a booster giving $500 to former quarterback Troy Smith.
Clarett was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2005 but was released during training camp. He hasn't played organized football since.
His convictions stemmed from a chain of events that began Jan. 1, 2006, when he robbed a couple at gunpoint outside a Downtown bar and ended Aug. 9, 2006, when he was arrested wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying four guns in his car.
kgordon@dispatch.com