Maurice Clarett Blogging From Prison

[jlj3184]

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- 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.

"There's no need to talk to a reporter these days. I am my own newspaper. I am my own editor. I am my own censor. I am able to put things into the proper context," he writes in an entry dated Feb. 28. "I am able to control the content and I am educated enough to accurately express myself. I am able to distinguish to people in a unique fashion that football is just something that I do. Football is not Maurice Clarett."

He's serving at least 3½ years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar and a highway chase months later that ended with police finding loaded guns in his SUV.

In his blog, Clarett says he's taking courses through Ohio University and is interested in public speaking when he is released. He writes that he is blogging in the hopes he can reach others before they make the kind of choices that landed him in a prison cell.

"Instead of entertaining people with my life, I am using certain events to educate, inspire and help others make conscious choices so they can avoid circumstances like this. It is easy to say that I messed up my life and show pictures while creating a storyline for entertainment, but it does nothing for humanity as a whole," Clarett writes. "That's good for water cooler conversation, but it does nothing for the young men who didn't make it to the NFL and have no future in college and are looking to the streets for an outlet.

"Time in prison was necessary due to my actions but it's my personal belief that I can use my celebrity confused to assist more people in so many creative ways that I've come up with than to occupy this cell at $25K per year," he writes.

Clarett doesn't have computer access in prison. His mother tells The Columbus Dispatch he phones the blog entries to relatives, who post them.

In a passage replying to comments made on his blog, Clarett says his time in prison has taught him valuable lessons.

"Surviving the game of life is drastically different than surviving the 4th quarter of the Fiesta Bowl," he writes. "Remaining sane while being locked down twenty-three hours a day during the beginning of my incarceration built character and revealed to me what I was really made of. Respect me and the viewers of this blog by bringing something constructive and positive so someone else can possibly change their life."

I guess it's good to see he's making an effort to turn his life around and finally accepting responsibility for his own f**k ups. I wish him the best. After all, he did provide tOSU with a national championship.

 

[Chardon]

Well thats good. I hope he turns his life around.

 

[MYoung23]

Is he the raper or the rapee in prison?

 

[The Oi]

Always happy to hear someone plans to turn their life around when they get out of prison. Even happier to hear when they actually do it and become a contributing member of society.

That said...does anyone else get irritated to find out that prisoners have internet privileges? Clarett's could be considered a less serious case but it's my opinion that anyone who commits a violent crime, rape, molestation or murder should have 0 rights in prison. That includes television, internet and any other source of entertainment.

 

[jlj3184]

Always happy to hear someone plans to turn their life around when they get out of prison. Even happier to hear when they actually do it and become a contributing member of society.

That said...does anyone else get irritated to find out that prisoners have internet privileges? Clarett's could be considered a less serious case but it's my opinion that anyone who commits a violent crime, rape, molestation or murder should have 0 rights in prison. That includes television, internet and any other source of entertainment.

Clarett doesn't have computer access in prison. His mother tells The Columbus Dispatch he phones the blog entries to relatives, who post them.

But yes, it would piss me off quite a bit if he did. I thought the same thing initially.

 

[The Oi]

But yes, it would piss me off quite a bit if he did. I thought the same thing initially.

Thanks for the correction. In any case, I know from watching the lock-up documentary that a lot of these guys have television privileges. Some of them even get to play board games and do various activities amongst others.

It always pisses me off.

 

[Dustin]

Thanks for the correction. In any case, I know from watching the lock-up documentary that a lot of these guys have television privileges. Some of them even get to play board games and do various activities amongst others.

It always pisses me off.

Doesn't bother me much. Time is time no matter how you look at it.

Reagardless "privileges" is the key word. The system is designed for the inmates to learn to live a more stuctured life, or "by the rules" so to speak. Having done some time myself, I can't imagine I would have came out any better if i was unable to socialize or do anything somewhat stress relieving.

Even with all the privileges, the grind of prison life is still very monotenous, they have very little effect on the "easing" of the punishment you percieve.

 

[The Oi]

Having done some time myself, I can't imagine I would have came out any better if i was unable to socialize or do anything somewhat stress relieving.

What are your thoughts on whether prison rehabilitates prisoners or not?

 

[David]

So Jigo you think sitting in a cell all day 24/7 is going to set a person strait (is that the right one?) ? Computers do seem a bit much, but I think they need to have at least some activity or else it might make them go insane or get really pissed off at the world.

 

[The Oi]

So Jigo you think sitting in a cell all day 24/7 is going to set a person strait (is that the right one?)

Only someone who has been to jail would know the answer to that question. I can't pretend to know what it's like to be in there or what it's like to come back out. That's why I asked Dustin to provide some insight.

That said...I'm talking about the guys who have committed the more disgusting crimes for which they'll never leave prison or will be in there for an extremely long period of time.

IMO once you've molested a child, committed rape, committed an act of terrorism or otherwise murdered someone in cold blood you lose your rights to enjoy freedom of any kind.

If someone commits any of those crimes I'd prefer that they die, but knowing that they are rotting in a tiny cell with nothing to do but reflect on their decisions makes me feel better too. For me, it's irrelevant whether they'd be angry when they get out of prison when they've lost the right to live among law abiding citizens.

Have you ever seen a video of a murder victim's family member addressing the murderer? It's heart-wrenching. And IMO if that person wants the murderer to rot in a jail cell and/or be put to death, they should be allowed whatever closure that may give them.

 

[Chardon]

That said...does anyone else get irritated to find out that prisoners have internet privileges?

Over 3\4 of our members would be gone if they had no internet.

 

[The Oi]

Over 3\4 of our members would be gone if they had no internet.

:chuckles:

 

[jlj3184]

Over 3\4 of our members would be gone if they had no internet.

I think you're confusing RCF with MLive...

 

[David]

Only someone who has been to jail would know the answer to that question. I can't pretend to know what it's like to be in there or what it's like to come back out. That's why I asked Dustin to provide some insight.

That said...I'm talking about the guys who have committed the more disgusting crimes for which they'll never leave prison or will be in there for an extremely long period of time.

IMO once you've molested a child, committed rape, committed an act of terrorism or otherwise murdered someone in cold blood you lose your rights to enjoy freedom of any kind.

If someone commits any of those crimes I'd prefer that they die, but knowing that they are rotting in a tiny cell with nothing to do but reflect on their decisions makes me feel better too. For me, it's irrelevant whether they'd be angry when they get out of prison when they've lost the right to live among law abiding citizens.

Have you ever seen a video of a murder victim's family member addressing the murderer? It's heart-wrenching. And IMO if that person wants the murderer to rot in a jail cell and/or be put to death, they should be allowed whatever closure that may give them.

Well it depends, In Claretts case, He didn't kill anyone or harm them, So he should get a small taste of normal life in prison.

Child molestors ect. can go die for all I care.

 

[The Oi]

Well it depends, In Claretts case, He didn't kill anyone or harm them, So he should get a small taste of normal life in prison.

This I agree with. From watching Lockup, I think they actually might employ a policy like the one I mentioned, where people are allowed more and more limited freedom based on their types of crimes.