COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University says former football star Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry to pursue his degree after he spent more than three years in prison.

Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch says in a statement that Clarett started classes on Monday after he was readmitted by the College of Education and [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State University says former football star Maurice Clarett has been granted re-entry to pursue his degree after he spent more than three years in prison.

Ohio State spokesman Jim Lynch says in a statement that Clarett started classes on Monday after he was readmitted by the College of Education and Human Ecology, where he was originally enrolled.

Clarett says in a statement that it is a “surreal feeling to be back at Ohio State” and that he doesn’t want to be a “distraction or nuisance” to the football team or other students.

Clarett led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship in his only college season. He pleaded guilty in 2006 to aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, and served 3½ years in a Toledo prison, where he took college-credit courses.

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Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation's top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list.

COLUMBUS– Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch [...]]]> Associated Press

Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation's top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list.

COLUMBUS– Ohio State junior quarterback Terrelle Pryor is among 30 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks who were selected to the 2010 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award watch list. Preseason consideration is based on player performance during the previous year and expectations heading into the 2010 college football season.

Last season Pryor passed for 2,094 yards with 18 touchdowns and led the Buckeyes with 779 yards and seven TDs on the ground. The Rose Bowl MVP passed for a season-high 266 yards and two touchdowns, rushed for 72 more and set an Ohio State bowl game record with 338 yards of total offense as the Buckeyes upset the Oregon Ducks on New Year’s Day, 26-17. He enters his junior year with more than 4,800 yards of total offense and is the fifth Buckeye quarterback to rush for more than 1,000 career yards with two years of eligibility remaining.

Pryor is one of 13 juniors to make the list and joins counterparts Ricky Stanzi (Iowa) and Scott Tolzien (Wisconsin) from the Big Ten.

Appearing on the Watch List is not a requirement for a player to be awarded The O’Brien. Quarterbacks from all 120 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) schools are eligible for the award until the field is narrowed to 16 semifinalists Monday, Oct. 25. The Foundation and the Selection Committee will announce three finalists Monday, Nov. 22. The 2010 winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show Thursday, Dec. 9.

The 34th Annual O’Brien Awards Dinner will be held Feb. 21, 2011 at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —The New England Patriots have released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs,  who played sparingly after being signed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the team prior to last season.

Patriots release veteran CB Shawn Springs

The 35-year-old Springs appeared in 12 games and had 39 tackles and one interception for the Patriots.

The [...]]]> Associated Press

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. —The New England Patriots have released veteran cornerback Shawn Springs,  who played sparingly after being signed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the team prior to last season.

Patriots release veteran CB Shawn Springs

The 35-year-old Springs appeared in 12 games and had 39 tackles and one interception for the Patriots.

The 13-year veteran has also played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins.

The Patriots drafted Rutgers cornerback Devin McCourty in the first round of last month’s draft and re-signed veteran cornerback Leigh Bodden. They also have Darius Butler, a second-round choice last season, and third-year player Jonathan Wilhite.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference says Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

The game will be at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and will serve as Ohio State’s 2010 Homecoming game. Television coverage [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Big Ten Conference says Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

Ohio State will kick off against Purdue at noon on Saturday, Oct. 23.

The game will be at Ohio Stadium in Columbus and will serve as Ohio State’s 2010 Homecoming game. Television coverage will be announced later.

Four other games on the 2010 football schedule have confirmed starting times.

the Buckeyes’ opener on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.

The conference game at Wisconsin on Oct. 16 will begin at 7:15 p.m. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes, five-time defending Big Ten champions, travel to play Minnesota at its new TCF Bank Stadium at 8 p.m.

The highly anticipated matchup with the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 11 will start at 3:40 p.m.

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Jake Ballard had just finished working out at the Ohio State football facilities on Monday night, April 26, when he talked about his professional opportunity.

“As soon as the draft was over, the calls started coming,” said Ballard, the former Springboro High School and Ohio State tight end. “There were [...]]]> By Kyle Nagel, Dayton Daily News

Jake Ballard had just finished working out at the Ohio State football facilities on Monday night, April 26, when he talked about his professional opportunity.

“As soon as the draft was over, the calls started coming,” said Ballard, the former Springboro High School and Ohio State tight end. “There were five or six teams who wanted to sign me.”

After consulting with his agent, the undrafted Ballard decided on Monday to sign a free-agent contract with the New York Giants. He is scheduled to leave Thursday for a rookie minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J., where he hopes to begin his work on earning a roster spot.

Ballard said his draft stock suffered after he couldn’t run for scouts at Ohio State’s pro day because of a pulled hamstring.

“If I would’ve run the 40 (yard dash), I think it would’ve really helped,” Ballard said. “But that’s the business, and I felt a lot better once I started getting calls.”

Ballard said he received interest from the Bengals, Browns, Patriots, Redskins and Giants, but he chose the Giants because his agent mentioned coach Tom Coughlin and tight ends coach Mike Pope were both personally interested in Ballard, the 6-foot-7 senior who averaged 11.5 yards on 14 catches last season.

Ballard joins area natives Austin Spitler (Bellbrook) and Kurt Coleman (Northmont), who were drafted Saturday by the Dolphins and Eagles in the seventh round, in gaining a professional opportunity.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State will play at least three night games this fall.

The Buckeyes are 15-10 in night games under coach Jim Tressel.

The Big Ten Conference and television networks said Wednesday that the Buckeyes‘ opener on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.

The conference [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State will play at least three night games this fall.

The Buckeyes are 15-10 in night games under coach Jim Tressel.

The Big Ten Conference and television networks said Wednesday that the Buckeyes‘ opener on Thursday, Sept. 2, against Marshall will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Ohio Stadium.

The conference game at Wisconsin on Oct. 16 will begin at 7:15 p.m. Two weeks later, the Buckeyes, five-time defending Big Ten champions, travel to play Minnesota at its new TCF Bank Stadium at 8 p.m.

The highly anticipated matchup with the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 11 will start at 3:40 p.m.

All four game times were announced by the Big Ten, ESPN and ABC.

Ohio State is 33-16 all-time in games starting at 5 p.m. or later local time. The Buckeyes are 15-10 in night games under coach Jim Tressel.

Terrelle Pryor is not listening to or thinking about any of the buzz suggesting he might be a Heisman candidate.

//

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Already the buzz has started about Terrelle Pryor winning the Heisman.

Like a kid putting his hands over his ears to block something he doesn’t want to hear, the Ohio [...]]]> Associated Press

Terrelle Pryor is not listening to or thinking about any of the buzz suggesting he might be a Heisman candidate.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Already the buzz has started about Terrelle Pryor winning the Heisman.

Like a kid putting his hands over his ears to block something he doesn’t want to hear, the Ohio State quarterback is ignoring idle talk and focusing on the his team.

“You can’t think about the Heisman,” he said after Ohio State’s spring workout on Friday. “It’s a team thing. I believe if you lead your team and if that will come to the conclusion that I would win, then that’s what it is. I believe that in my heart I owe that to my teammates and the fans before thinking about myself.”

After two seasons, 21 wins and two Big Ten titles, Pryor is preparing for his junior season. He is fully recovered from offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, although he is still wearing an elastic brace for support.

He feels stronger, more comfortable and better prepared than ever before in his college career.

“I felt like last year I still was going through the motions. I was just trying to please people,” he said. “People were saying that I couldn’t play quarterback. But that’s not the case. I think I was trying to prove too many people wrong, standing in the pocket, doing what I don’t do. But now I feel … so much more comfortable.”

This is the start of year three in the learning curve for Pryor, once the most sought-after high school quarterback recruit in the country. With an experienced offense around him and a lot of hopes riding on his shoulders, he said he no longer has anything to prove to those who said he would be better suited to play receiver.

Pryor completed 61 percent of his passes for 12 touchdowns and 4 interceptions as a freshman, but seldom was asked to make a throw with a game on the line. And he almost never threw the ball farther than 10 or 15 yards.

Last season, Pryor was brilliant at times and at others looked like a work in progress. His pass-efficiency rating fell from 146.50 as a freshman to 128.91, and his completion rate dropped to 57 percent.

Still, he led Ohio State to an 11-2 record, a fifth consecutive conference title and a 26-17 victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

Many observers hailed the game in Pasadena as a turning point for the 6-foot-6, 235-pounder from Jeannette, Pa. He led all rushers with 20 carries for 72 yards in addition to passing for a career-best 266 yards on 23 of 37 for two touchdowns with one interception. He was voted the game’s MVP.

Head coach Jim Tressel said the Rose Bowl win, and the month of practices leading up to it, had a profound effect on Pryor’s progress.

“Anytime you end well, it certainly helps,” he said. “I think he learned a lot in ’09. I think he learned a lot in that bowl preparation. Then, obviously he got to experience a fun moment there at the bowl. And the natural maturation. We’ve talked a lot about, it’s hard to believe but more than half of (his) career’s done.”

The past two years have certainly seasoned Pryor.

“He’s definitely matured as a thrower, as a quarterback, as a leader,” said Darrell Hazell, Ohio State’s assistant head coach in charge of wide receivers. “He’s matured in a lot of different ways. It’s exciting. It really is.”

His attention to detail has grown on the field.

“You’ll come off the field and instead of talking about the routes he’ll say, ‘I was trying to hit you on the back shoulder so you could just run away from the defender,’” wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher said. “He’s noticing little things like that. It just shows how much more comfortable and confident he is in the pocket.”

His teammates acknowledge him as the face of the team. He is swarmed by media every time he is made available. Considered one of the top few candidates for the Heisman this fall, he is a rock star on his football-mad campus.

Even Tressel has gotten caught up in the hype. Early last season — barely a dozen games into Pryor’s college career — he said of his prized pupil, “There’s probably not a more compassionate human being in the world than Terrelle.”

Tressel maintains that Pryor has held on to his mistakes too long. A former college quarterback himself, and also a former assistant coach of quarterbacks, Tressel would prefer that Pryor have an extremely short memory when it comes to things gone wrong.

“He’s never going to stop being a tremendous competitor. I don’t want him to,” Tressel said. “But also, if he’s going to throw 1,000 balls, there are going to be a few of them that are going to be incomplete. And we’ve got to take those in stride.”

His reach for perfection is evident to his teammates.

“No one’s a harder critic of himself than Terrelle,” said his favorite receiver, DeVier Posey. “He gets mad at himself when he doesn’t make great throws. He wants to be great.”

Pryor said he has never been better prepared, for a college season or what comes next.

“We run a professional offense,” he said. “If it was time for me to go (to the NFL), whenever it is time for me to go, I’ll be ready. I do the same thing other quarterbacks do in the NFL, drop-wise and stuff like that.”

He’s also prepared for what lies ahead for his team.

“We’re going to be maybe No. 2 in the country,” he said of preseason predictions that put the Buckeyes right behind defending champion Alabama. “The expectations are always high on Ohio State. We’ve got 100 bull’s-eyes on our back. We have to stand up to it and face (it).”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge on Wednesday cleared the way for ex-Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett to move to a smaller detention facility in Columbus, which could lead to his release within a few months.

Asked by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Fais if he had anything to say, Clarett cleared his [...]]]> Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge on Wednesday cleared the way for ex-Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett to move to a smaller detention facility in Columbus, which could lead to his release within a few months.

Asked by Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Fais if he had anything to say, Clarett cleared his throat and said, “I’d like to say I’m humbled.”

Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship in his only college season, served 3½ years in prison for aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Fais said Clarett, 26, had met terms of his original sentencing when he pleaded guilty in September 2006 and permitted the move to Maryhaven, a community-based correction facility.

“He’s very grateful he’s been released,” said his attorney, Michael Hoague. “Still, he’s incarcerated, so it’s a blend of emotions.”

Officials at the facility will evaluate Clarett’s employment, education and family considerations. He will be there at least four months but no more than six months before being released, pending good behavior, Fais said.

Clarett said he had also realized that he wants to become a good father to his daughter, who lives in Youngstown, Ohio, with her mother.

His mother, Michelle Clarett, sat a few feet away from her son, along with other family members and friends.

Upon leaving the courtroom she said she was “still digesting” the decision but added that she was pleased it was another step toward her son’s release.

Prosecutors did not argue against Clarett’s move to the facility.

“He did have a good prison record,” Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien said Tuesday night.

Hoague said Maryhaven was a step between a county jail and a prison, with dormitory-style living and numerous programs to prepare inmates for the outside world. He said during the latter stages of a person’s confinement, they can be released to go to work each day.

Hoague said Clarett had taken classes on geriatrics and gerontology while in prison and hoped to work with older adults.

Fais asked him what he had learned about himself during his time behind bars and Clarett said he had discovered that he lacked character when he was younger.

Clarett pleaded guilty in September 2006 to having a gun hidden in his SUV and holding up two people outside a Columbus bar in a separate case. He was sentenced to 7½ years in prison with possible release in 3½ years.

Clarett was a standout running back from Warren, Ohio, who was selected as a national player of the year by one publication.

He never played another college game after scoring the winning touchdown in Ohio State’s 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes’ first national title since 1968.

He was declared ineligible after that season for receiving extra benefits that were brought to light after he filed a false theft report about a car break-in.

While he was ineligible, Clarett sued the NFL in September 2003 to be permitted to enter the league’s draft. The NFL requires all athletes to be out of high school for at least three years before entering the draft. After an initial court victory, Clarett lost after the NFL appealed.

When it finally came time for him to be drafted under NFL rules, the Denver Broncos surprised many by selecting him in the third round of the 2005 draft. But they cut him before the season even started.

Clarett was charged with aggravated robbery on Jan. 1, 2006, after police said he flashed a gun at people outside a bar and robbed them of a cell phone. Before his trial on those charges, Clarett was arrested on Aug. 9, 2006, after police chased him when they said he failed to stop for a traffic violation.

Clarett has been taking college-credit courses in the Toledo prison, where he was confined to a single cell but was not isolated from other inmates. He was able to exercise and eat with other inmates.

Clarett, 26, was convicted on charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football player Maurice Clarett is in county jail and awaiting a judge’s decision on Tuesday that would release him to a community-based correction facility after spending 3½ years in prison.

Clarett, 26, was convicted [...]]]> Associated Press

Clarett, 26, was convicted on charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football player Maurice Clarett is in county jail and awaiting a judge’s decision on Tuesday that would release him to a community-based correction facility after spending 3½ years in prison.

Clarett, 26, was convicted on charges of aggravated robbery and carrying a concealed weapon.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O’Brien confirmed to The Associated Press on Monday that Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship in 2002, was moved from a Toledo prison to the county jail in Columbus on Sunday and would meet on Tuesday afternoon with Judge David Fais, who handled his original case.

O’Brien said he expected the judge to allow the former tailback to be transferred to a secure facility in Columbus where he would be evaluated for possible release within six months. O’Brien described the facility as one which has barbed-wire and is residential, but is not a lock-down institution.

Clarett pleaded guilty in September 2006 to having a gun hidden in his SUV and holding up two people outside a Columbus bar in a separate case. He was sentenced to 7½ years in prison with possible release in 3½ years.

Messages seeking comment from Clarett’s attorney, Michael Hoague, were not immediately returned after business hours Tuesday.

A star as a freshman at Ohio State, Clarett, a standout running back from Warren, Ohio, was declared ineligible after one season for receiving extra benefits that were brought to light after he filed a false theft report about a car break-in. He never played another college game after scoring the winning touchdown in Ohio State’s 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the Buckeyes’ first national title since 1968.

After he was ruled ineligible, Clarett sued the NFL in September 2003 to be permitted to enter the league’s draft. At issue was the NFL’s rule denying anyone to be drafted who has not been out of high school for three years. After an initial court victory, Clarett lost on appeal.

He eventually was drafted in the third round of the 2005 draft by the Denver Broncos, but was cut before the season started.

On Jan. 1, 2006, Clarett was charged with aggravated robbery after police said he flashed a gun at people outside a bar and robbed them of a cell phone. Then, on Aug. 9, Clarett was arrested after a chase when police said that they tried to stop him for a traffic violation.

O’Brien said he had no doubt that Judge Fais would release Clarett to the community-based facility because of the conditions of Clarett’s guilty plea and his good behavior at Toledo Correctional Institution the past 3½ years. O’Brien also said he would not oppose Clarett’s move.

A typical assessment at the facility takes a maximum of six months, and at that time if Clarett had met employment, housing and other requirements he would most likely be released into the general public, O’Brien said.

Clarett has been taking college-credit courses in the Toledo prison, where he was confined to a single cell but was not isolated from other inmates. He was able to exercise and eat with other inmates.

At the time of his plea, Hoague said of his client, “He was up here,” raising his arm to eye level. “He got down here,” he said, lowering his arm to his waist. “And he’s going to be back up here again.”

KETTERING — Two-Time Heisman winner Archie Griffin, will be the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Dayton LaSertoma Club. Thirty-two high school seniors from Montgomery and Preble counties will be recognized at the event for service to their communities.

The banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 4, at the [...]]]> Staff

KETTERING — Two-Time Heisman winner Archie Griffin, will be the keynote speaker at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Dayton LaSertoma Club. Thirty-two high school seniors from Montgomery and Preble counties will be recognized at the event for service to their communities.

The banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 4, at the Presidential Banquet Center in Kettering. Former Bengals great Isaac Curtis also will attend.