Clarett Suffers Court Setback

Maurice Clarett lost another court decision Monday, and the latest setback almost certainly means the former Ohio State running back won’t play in the NFL next season.

The decision also directly affects former USC All-American receiver Mike Williams, who declared himself eligible for the draft and hired an agent -- thereby forfeiting his NCAA eligibility and final two seasons as a Trojan -- in the wake of a district-court victory by Clarett that was ultimately overturned by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The appeals court said Monday that federal labor policy allows the NFL to determine when players can enter the league.

USC Coach Pete Carroll said the university would begin the NCAA reinstatement process on Williams’ behalf.

“Things can always change, but right now it’s both of our intentions to start the process,” Carroll said in a phone interview.

But Williams’ agent, Mike Azzarelli, told ESPN on Monday that his client plans to file a separate lawsuit against the NFL in Tampa, Fla., alleging the league encouraged Williams to make himself eligible for the draft.

Neither Williams nor Azzarelli could be reached for comment.

Carroll said that he and assistants Lane Kiffin and Todd McNair met with Williams last week in Florida and discussed his situation.

Carroll said the NFL contacted him Monday about the appellate court’s decision. He said that he had spoken with Williams and that the university would begin the process of reinstatement.

Tom Hansen, commissioner of the Pacific 10 Conference, said that to be reinstated Williams would have to repay money that he received from the agent.

Williams dropped his classes in February and is not attending summer school. Noel Ragsdale, USC’s faculty athletic representative, said she could not comment specifically about student-athletes’ situations. But she said that institutions can seek from the NCAA a waiver of academic eligibility requirements for a student-athlete. The process is separate from that used for reinstatement.