Ex-OSU star agrees to plead guilty on two charges

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon in a deal that would send him to prison for at least 31/2 years to end two criminal cases against him.

The plea deal was announced by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Fais on the day jury selection was to begin in the robbery case, in which Clarett is accused of holding up two people outside a bar.


The concealed weapon charge was from his August arrest after a highway chase with police who found four loaded guns in Clarett's sport utility vehicle after they ed the tires. Police used pepper spray to subdue and handcuff Clarett, who was wearing a bulletproof vest.

The deal is for a 71/2-year sentence with release possible after 31/2 years. Clarett, 22, also agreed to serve five years of probation after the prison sentence.

Clarett, who was expressionless throughout the hearing, said he understood that he was pleading guilty and reversing his earlier not guilty plea.

"I'd like to apologize for my behavior, and I accept the time that was given to me," he said.

After the deal was announced, he looked over at his mother who was sobbing and holding his 8-week-old daughter while sitting next to his girlfriend.

Clarett, who lead Ohio State to the national championship in 2002, had been charged originally in the police altercation with two counts of failure to comply with an order from a police officer and improper handling of a firearm, in addition to the concealed weapon charge.

Assistant Prosecutor Tim Mitc said the plea deal is consistent with how his office handles similar cases.

"Anyone else would have gone to prison. He's not getting any special treatment," Mitc said.

"As robberies go it wasn't as bad as some I've seen."

Defense attorneys left the courtroom without commenting.

The case generated intense media coverage to the point where Clarett's attorneys asked the court to pay for a public opinion poll to determine if an impartial jury could be seated for the robbery trial.

Fais denied the request. The judge also ordered Clarett to undergo a mental health evaluation. The findings showed that Clarett was competent to stand trial, his attorneys said.

Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime in Ohio State's championship game, but that was the last time he played for the Buckeyes as a freshman.

After dropping out of Ohio State, he lost a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the NFL's requirement that players wait three years after high school before turning pro. The Denver Broncos made Clarett a surprise third-round pick in the NFL's 2005 draft, only to cut him during the preseason.

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