Maurice Clarett warns Terrelle Pryor to avoid going 'down same road I did'

OMAHA, Neb. - The fall from grace for former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor is not vastly different from a previous Buckeyes star who also left Columbus on shaky terms.

Maurice Clarett, who led Ohio State to a national title in 2002, played just one season for the Buckeyes and just like Pryor, left amidst turmoil and NCAA sanctions for accepting improper benefits.

Now, Clarett is cautioning Pryor to avoid making the same mistakes he made, which eventually landed him in a prison cell.

“When I talk to Terrelle, it’s more or less, ‘I don’t want you to go down the same road I did,’” Clarett said during a recent radio interview on Omaha’s 160 The Zone. “I don’t get into what took place at Ohio State, but I understand the mistakes I made after I left Ohio State."

Pryor left school after his junior season, and is currently preparing for the supplemental draft, where opinions differ on where he will get selected. Clarett said he has offered Pryor words of encouragement since he left Ohio State.

“I don’t want to see him do some of the things I did because I realize how it panned out and I see where it could go…Just focus on being the best you can be with the window of opportunity you have right now.”

Clarett was released from prison in April 2010, and played last season in the UFL for the Omaha Nighthawks. He has a contract with the Nighthawks for the upcoming season.

After his release from jail, Clarett also returned to Ohio State as a student, taking classes to earn a college degree. During the interview, Clarett said that he has a good relationship with former coach Jim Tressel, and also advocated that college players should get paid.

“Even if you gave them kids $30,000, $20,000, there wouldn’t be any situations where they’d be having illegal benefits or having to take things.”