Gossip CBUS Challenges Maurice Clarett

NBC 4: Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett writes that he’s blogging from prison so others will learn from his wrong decisions. The tailback who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship is in the Toledo Correctional Institution on his 2006 conviction for aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon. In his first blog entry, Clarett said in October that defects in his character put him behind bars. This week, he wrote he’s interested in public speaking once he’s out. Clarett doesn’t have computer access in prison. His mother tells The Columbus Dispatch he phones the blog entries to relatives, who post them.

The preceding appeared this afternoon on NBC 4’s website. The following is our open invitation to Maurice Clarett, which has also been posted on his website…

During this website’s initial month, the possibility of interviewing Maurice Clarett was broached. We assumed we were not the first to make such an inquiry and prison officials confirmed this… They said that Maurice had turned down all offers to discuss his situation. Imagine my surprise when I read this afternoon, that he is, in fact, discussing his situation, but in the way most convenient to him.

Now, I don’t begrudge Maurice discussing his situation or telling his story. In fact, I welcome him doing so. There are hundreds, if not thousands of Columbus residents that would like to hear his side of the story. We would like to present his side of the story, in his own words, unedited… As Maurice is now a blogger, as we are bloggers, we would like to issue this invitation…

Maurice, tell us your story… Sit down with us for an interview and tell Columbus what happened… We don’t want to confront you or criticize you, we simply want to hear from you… You can dictate the day of the interview, the length of the interview, the circumstances of the interview (video tape, audio tape or written), you can dictate everything but the questions and we will run your answers unedited…

Maurice, I speak on behalf of the Ohio State fans that cheered you in 2002… We want to hear from you… Talk to us…