The Cleveland Browns are thin at running back after trading Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts on Wednesday, so former Ohio State Buckeye Maurice Clarett figured why not throw his name into the hat as a possibility for them to fill the spot?
Clarett reached out to the Browns over Twitter to offer his services:
@Browns can I get a workout? I still have plenty of mileage on these legs..!!!!!!
— Maurice Clarett (@ReeseClarett13) September 18, 2013
@Browns I had behavior problems that I cleaned up. Never had playing problems.
— Maurice Clarett (@ReeseClarett13) September 18, 2013
Clarett turns 30 next month and hasn’t been associated with an NFL team since being drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2005 and released prior to playing in a preseason game. His life spiraled out of control and he went to prison for a few years. Clarett claims that he has straightened himself out since then. He played one season for the Omaha Nighthawks of the UFL in 2010, and he recently began playing rugby.
Clarett expounded on his offer to the Browns during an interview with Jorge Sedano and Mark Schlereth on ESPN Radio Wednesday night.
“I was serious when I said [I wanted a workout]. I don’t have a lot of mileage on my legs. A lot of the workouts that I do on a daily basis at 5 in the morning basically get me prepared for rugby or football base. I do a lot of explosive lifts, a lot of sprinting, cutting, I do a lot of running,” Clarett explained.
“I’m a hometown guy,” said Clarett, who is from Youngstown, Ohio. “Been a Browns fan my whole life. I was really serious when I did say [I wanted a tryout].”
Clarett says he thinks his rugby training has him prepared for football, and promises that his “skills never left.”
Clarett says he was dropped by the Nighthawks because they went to a pistol offense and he is a better fit for a team that needs a traditional, downhill runner. He even says he reached out to Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, presumably after Le’Veon Bell got hurt.
Even if the former Buckeyes star does not get another shot at pro football, he says he is happy and that he is now recognized as a leader.
“My life is revamped,” Clarett proudly told Sedano and Stink.
NFL teams frequently bring in players for workouts just so they have their records updated in case they need to fill a spot because of injuries. Could it really hurt for them to bring in Clarett for a workout to see what he has? I doubt he has much to offer, but it probably can’t hurt.
