Federal court blocks ruling, bars Clarett from NFL draft

A federal appeals court on Monday barred Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett from entering Saturday's NFL draft, overturning a ruling by a lower court.

In February, Clarett was declared eligible for the NFL draft by U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin, who ruled the league violated anti-trust laws. She later refused to suspend the ruling.

As part of the league's collective bargaining agreement, NFL rules stipulate that players must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft. But Clarett challenged the rule in a September 23 lawsuit.

Posted by Ron at April 19, 2004 04:40 PM