No Pain and No Gain for Clarett?

Maurice Clarett, who for months argued that the NFL was holding him back, applied the brakes himself Thursday, announcing that he wouldn’t be working out this week for team executives, scouts and coaches.

Instead, the former Ohio State running back is planning a private workout in early April, when, he figures, he’ll be in better shape.

His decision to skip the workout portion of the five-day scouting combine -- a choice that Clarett says came at the behest of his mother -- left many league honchos underwhelmed.

“You have immediate questions on what kind of shape he’s in, why he’s not prepared to work out,” said Tom Donahoe, president and general manager of the Buffalo Bills. “I don’t see how that’s good for him.”

But Clarett, who earlier this month was awarded NFL draft eligibility in a federal court judgment, despite his having played only one season of college football, said he simply wasn’t tuned finely enough to make his best first impression.

“That level is a whole different level,” he said. “The intensity of the training has to increase. I’m going to take these next four weeks and get back to eating right and training right and try to take my training up a notch.”

Clarett, as a freshman, helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2002, but was suspended by the school last season for accepting money from a family friend and for lying about it to NCAA and school investigators.

He said he planned to lose seven pounds to get to 230 and smiled at the suggestion that he might be rusty after sitting out for 13 months.

“I’ve been doing this since I was 5,” he said. “It’s not like I’m going to forget everything. It’s crazy how you all talk. I’m not going to forget everything about football. It’s going to be like a kid, once I get back on that bike and start to repeat stuff over and over. I think I’ll be cool.”

It remains to be seen whether NFL teams feel the same way. Draft expert Gil Brandt, a former Dallas Cowboy executive, doesn’t see Clarett being selected in the first two rounds unless he has a phenomenal private workout. He said Clarett’s decision not to work out at the combine sent the wrong message, especially with millions of dollars hanging in the balance.

“It’s not like a guy that’s on the banquet circuit,” Brandt said. “He should be in good shape right now.”

Because the NFL is appealing the court decision, the league advised team executives to steer clear of questions about him.

There are lingering questions about Clarett’s durability -- he missed more than three games in his only season at Ohio State because of ankle and shoulder injuries -- and his maturity. He insists that at 20, he’s mentally and physically strong enough to withstand the rigors of an NFL season, even though it’s nearly twice as long as a college season, considering training camp and exhibition games. He figures people who take the time to get to know him won’t be troubled by his sketchy reputation.

“Can they trust me? I think so,” he said. “When I sit down with these GMs and head coaches, I think they’ll have a good understanding of me, where I’m coming from, the certain way I act about certain things, the certain way I feel about a lot of things. There’s so many tests here, they can pretty much find out anything they want to find out. They don’t have the chance to pick up a paper, they finally get to meet me now.”

He scoffed at the suggestion that the advisors surrounding him might be using him as a tool to push their agendas. He said his mother was his only advisor. Asked about Jim Brown, the Hall of Fame running back who is never too far away, Clarett said, “I talked to Mr. Brown, friend-to-friend conversations.”

Earlier this week, Clarett’s lawyer, Alan Milstein, said the player was working with an agent in preparation for the combine -- a step that would make Clarett ineligible under NCAA rules. Clarett said Thursday he had not retained an agent but was interviewing candidates.

Indianapolis Coach Tony Dungy expressed doubts about a player so young finding success in the NFL but didn’t rule out the possibility of Clarett’s doing so.

“If I had a son, I would want him to stay in school and graduate,” Dungy said.

“I think that’s the best way to go for 99% of the people and young men in the world. It may not be the best situation for 1% of the guys.”

Is Clarett one of the elite few? NFL teams will have to wait and see. They’re on his clock now.