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Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett to speak April 10


Last updated April 4, 2019

By Tina Underwood

Former Ohio State University running back Maurice Clarett will speak on the Furman University campus Wednesday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in McAlister Auditorium.

maurice clarett

Former Buckeye Clarett will speak about his experiences overcoming addiction and mental illnesses.

His Cultural Life Program talk, “How I Found My Way Out of the Red Zone,” is free and open to the public and is sponsored by Furman Athletics and the university’s student health organization PHOKUS (Promoting Healthy Options through Knowledge, Understanding, and Service).

Clarett will speak about his experience as a student-athlete at Ohio State where his life began to spiral out of control due to addiction and mental illnesses. He will describe how life choices negatively impacted him and how he overcame them.

In addition to playing for Ohio State and helping the team win a 2002 national championship during his freshman year, he also played professionally. Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round by the Denver Broncos. He also played for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League in 2010-2011.

He is known for unsuccessfully challenging the NFL’s draft eligibility rules, and for his tumultuous life outside of football, including his dismissal from Ohio State, several arrests and imprisonment.

Since his release, Clarett has become a celebrated public speaker across the country, speaking candidly about his previous struggles and recovery.

In 2016, Clarett founded The Red Zone, a behavioral health agency in Youngstown, Ohio, and later, he established an agency in Columbus, Ohio. Among other offerings, the group provides mental health services, addiction and recovery services and school-based social work.

In 2018, he launched “Business and Biceps,” a top-rated business podcast he co-hosts with Cory Gregory and John Fosco.

For more information, contact the Furman University News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.

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