Déjà vu

What does the future hold for former Gophers running back Gary Russell? A high-speed chase that ends with him being maced, charged with carrying a concealed weapon and jail time, of course. Russell and former Ohio State Phenom Maurice Clarett have far too much in common for this outcome not to happen. Russell became the two in the Gophers one, two punch that they call a running game after Marrion Barber III left school for the NFL. One season later Russell found himself academically ineligible and made no real attempt to return to school and rejoin the team. Clarett found himself in a legal loophole and attempted to leap to the NFL after his freshman season to no avail. Each spent two seasons watching the game from their couch and apparently snacking. When the time for Clarett came he ran a devastating 4.72 and 4.82 in the 40 and overall had a bad showing at the combine. Both men are native to Ohio and Russell’s friends used Clarett as motivation. "Just don't run what Maurice Clarett ran." Russell didn't, he topped it with a 4.8 and a 4.84. Way to go buddy, you didn't even win a national championship before messing everything up.

I can just see it now... three years down the line when he has been kicked out of NFL Europe for cleating the referee he'll come back the the states for a party hosted by one of the Bengals. Clarett will have just been released from jail and the pair will want to hit a stripclub. Naturally they'll invite "Pacman" and his handy dandy garbage bag full of money. Later than night, after a hasty retreat from the strip club resulting in only 2 dead and a badly maimed bouncer, the trio will be flying down the road listening to Chamillionare's "Riding Dirty" when the cherries light up and it's on. With Russell behind the wheel the more gun savvy of the bunch will try to shoot their way out of yet another predicament only to land themselves with some serious jail time and brand new boyfriends for each.