Clarett filed a motion with a judge asking to be allowed to travel to try out with the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. A review of the motion was tentatively set for Monday afternoon and then later pushed back to Aug. 30. Clarett cannot leave the state until he receives clearance from the court.
On Monday, Clarett, who led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship, finished up 4½ months in a locked-down, dormitory-style facility that serves as a transition for those getting out of prison. He has asked Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David Fais to leave the state to try out for the pro team.
His attorney, Michael Hoague, said Clarett was ready to make the most of the opportunity.
"Since he re-enrolled in summer-quarter classes at Ohio State, he's been going to school and also working out each morning at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center," Hoague said. "He looks really good."
The expansion Omaha franchise will be making its debut in the UFL's second season this fall, joining the Florida Tuskers, Hartford Colonials, Las Vegas Locomotives and Sacramento Mountain Lions. Among the players on the team, currently going through preseason camp, are two former NFL stars, quarterback Jeff Garcia and running back Ahman Green.
The Nighthawks open their season Sept. 24 against the Hartford Colonials.
A spokeswoman for the Nighthawks declined to comment on Clarett possibly practicing with the team.
Omaha's player personnel director is Ted Sundquist, former general manager of the Denver Broncos, who took Clarett in the third round of the 2005 NFL draft.
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