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2004: Maurice Clarett ruled eligible for the NFL Draft
Impact: If upheld, the ruling might allow all underclassmen and high school stars to play in the NFL.
A federal judge opened the door for Ohio State sensation Maurice Clarett and teenage football stars to turn pro, declaring Thursday that an NFL rule barring their eligibility violates antitrust law and "must be sacked."
U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin said legal issues are so clearly in Clarett's favor a trial is unnecessary. The NFL said it will appeal, and it will probably try to block the ruling before the April draft.
Clarett sued the league last year to challenge its 1990 rule that a player must be out of high school three years to enter the draft.
"I was pleased that the rule was brought down," Clarett said at a news conference. "It gives kids an opportunity to choose."
Clarett's lawyer, Alan Milstein, called it a "total victory."
Clarett declined to say whether he'll enter the April draft after his lawyers advised him that Ohio State has warned even a declaration to join the NFL would rule out any chance of returning to college ball.
Jeff Pash, the executive vice president of the NFL, said the ruling left him "really surprised" but confident on appeal because its findings contradicted those of past court rulings.
Ohio State would have to petition the NCAA to allow Clarett to return for the 2004 season, and it is unclear whether the school would succeed. The court ruling came a day after Ohio State said it was investigating an Internet report that the family friend was gambling while in daily contact with Clarett during the 2002 season.
Clarett would be prevented from entering the NFL Draft until 2005 under current rules.
His lawyers had called the rule arbitrary and anticompetitive, arguing it robbed players like Clarett of an opportunity to enter the multimillion-dollar marketplace.
Scheindlin noted courts had already eliminated similar age-based rules violating antitrust laws in professional basketball and hockey. She said the NFL had kept one in effect since Illinois' star running back, Harold "Red" Grange, left school in 1925 to join the Chicago Bears for $50,000.
The league argued that Clarett should not be eligible for the draft because its rule resulted from a collective bargaining agreement with the players and is immune from antitrust scrutiny.
"We believe today's ruling is inconsistent in numerous respects with well-established labor and antitrust law," the league said.
No other player has challenged the eligibility rule. It was supported by the league's coaches and executives, who say younger players aren't physically ready for the NFL, although the 6-foot, 230-pound Clarett could be an exception.
"I don't know that the floodgates are opening," Pash said. "While the ruling is broad in its language, I think we have to wait and see what the effect is."
Some observers doubted the ruling would lead many youngsters to try to turn pro.
"Most of these guys aren't ready, and the teams know that," said Robert A. McCormick, a professor at the Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University who worked on the Clarett case.
Jeff Reynolds, a writer at Pro Football Weekly, said the ruling probably would not have an immediate effect on young players around the country, but he suggested that could change if NFL teams started sending scouts to high school games.
It was more likely, he said, that players will leave college early to enter the draft.
Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington said Clarett could be in for a rough time when he joins the league.
"Because of the way he's done all these things, some people here see it as disrespectful," Arrington said at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. "I'm sure guys are going to break his tail, try to break him in.
"Either he'll succeed, or he'll be a total bust. If he can make it that rookie year without being assassinated, I think he'll be all right."
During his state of the NFL address two days before the Super Bowl, commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the league wouldn't try to reach a settlement with Clarett.
"It's a pretty direct point in terms of what the rule is, and Maurice Clarett's status falls under the rule," Tagliabue said. "Our system is working. It is easy to identify players who were helped by staying in school and were developing their skills."
Scheindlin wasn't swayed by the league's arguments.
"While, ordinarily, the best offense is a good defense," she said, "none of these defenses hold the line."
Source: AP
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