Poor Maurice Clarett. It seems like just yesterday he was the best running back in college football. He helped Ohio State University win a national championship and was on his way to the NFL where he would make millions of dollars.
Oooh how things have since gone wrong for the young man.
I won't get into all of the stupid things he's done to completely ruin his life, but I will post news from today which suggests Clarett's life has been in danger because of ties to a Jewish Mafia. Yes, you read that right.
From the article -
Clarett's attorney said Thursday that his client may have been in possession of firearms last week to protect himself against mob activity.
Clarett's attorney, Nick Mango, said Thursday that Clarett has repeatedly received death threats over the past year but that a cryptic postcard sent from Los Angeles last week has him wondering about Clarett's ties to an alleged mob enforcer.
In the late summer of 2004, ESPN has learned, Clarett traveled to Los Angeles and was introduced by a rapper friend to Hai Waknine, 35, a convicted felon who federal prosecutors believe is a member of an Israeli crime organization called The Jerusalem Group. Waknine, who at the time was facing a federal indictment on extortion and money-laundering charges, became Clarett's sponsor and adviser, along with Waknine's attorney, David Kenner. Waknine provided Clarett with cash, a BMW, bodyguards, drivers and beachfront lodging in Malibu, Calif., with the understanding that he would be reimbursed and receive 60 percent of Clarett's rookie contract.
But when Clarett was released by the Denver Broncos in August 2005, he was unable to pay Waknine back, and ESPN has learned that Waknine eventually cut off Clarett financially. Clarett moved back to his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, that fall.
After Clarett was arrested last week, allegedly wearing a bulletproof vest and possessing four guns and a hatchet, Clarett's attorneys say they received an anonymous phone call alerting them to Clarett's ties to Waknine. They grew more suspicious when they received the threatening postcard this week.
Mango said he is concerned that postcard, sent to his law office in Columbus, Ohio, may have come from Waknine.
There's too much unintentional comedy here to break down, but I'm sure you get most of it...
UPDATE - Maurice Clarett will spend at least 3 1/2 years in jail after agreeing to a plea bargain today in Columbus, OH. Read the details here.
