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Unhappy cornerback traded to Texans
Player satisfied to leave Oakland
BY JANIE McCAULEY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALAMEDA, Calif. — The man who calls himself "Showtime" is leaving the Oakland Raiders, and both sides appear happy to be parting ways.
The Raiders traded disgruntled cornerback Phillip Buchanan to the Houston Texans for two draft picks Tuesday, nearly four months after he publicly ridiculed the franchise with no warning leading into the final game.
"This gives us another young player at a position that is hard to come by."Capers said. "He has all of the things that you look for in that position. He has the natural skill to come in and play for us."
Texans general manager Charley Casserly confirmed the deal yesterday, but said it wouldn't be official until Buchanon passed a physical and the NFL completed the required paperwork.
Oakland will receive a second-round and third-round pick in this weekend's NFL draft.
Texans coach Dom Capers praised Buchanon's speed and athletic ability.
The Raiders had been trying to trade Buchanon in recent weeks. The team talked to the Washington Redskins about the
self-assured Buchanon, who typically refers to himself in the third person and arrived at training camp in 2003 as a second-year pro in a limousine and wearing a fancy pajama suit.
Oakland traded its firstround draft selection — seventh overall — to Minnesota for Randy Moss and won't make its first pick until sixth in the second round, 38th overall.
With the Buchanan trade, the Raiders will pick 47th overall.
They already had the 69th pick in the third round and now also will receive one of Houston's two picks that round.
Buchanon, the Raiders' first- round pick in 2002 out of Miami, went off about the organization just four days before Oakland (5-11) ended another disappointing season with a home loss to Jacksonville.
"I mean there is a lot of stuff that goes on here and it ain't right." he said at the time. "I am not feeling too good here. I am not happy with the organization. Things ain't good right now. I know that."
Buchanon said he spoke with team personnel chief Michael Lombardi late in the season to express his desire to go elsewhere.
He was briefly benched last season for his poor play, but also had plenty of impressive
Buchanon
moments that showcased his playmaking ability.
"The way I am feeling about the Raiders, I am not happy," B u c h a n o n said. "I am just not happy
with the organization right now.
I am looking forward to a possible trade with somebody else."
Buchanon's agent told Casserly that Buchanon was happy to be headed to Houston, where he would be teammates with close friend Andre Johnson.
A message left on Buchanon's cell phone went unreturned Tuesday night.
Buchanon has 11 career interceptions, including four returned for touchdowns, in 36 games. He has averaged 11 yards per punt return with three TDs in three NFL seasons.
Last season, Buchanon had 50 tackles and three interceptions, one for a TD, in 14 games. He missed the final two games with a bruised tailbone
Texans officials said they expect to finalize the deal and introduce Buchanon at a news conference today in Houston.
The Raiders selected Buchanon with the 17th overall pick in 2002.
NFL
Player overcomes scandals improves game,enters draft
BY JOE MILICIA
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
It's been more than two years since Clarett scored the touchdown that gave Ohio State its first national title in 34 years.
Maurice Clarett's long, strange trip to the NFL is nearing its end. Maybe.
Then came legal troubles, NCAA violations and a failed lawsuit against the NFL. A player once spoken of with the kind of awe reserved for a young talent like LeBron James had become synonymous with controversy and poor character.
Now, Clarett is saying and doing all the right things enough, perhaps, for a team to select him in this weekend's NFL draft.
Gil Brandt, the NFL's draft consultant, knows Clarett hasn't dazzled anyone with his speed. After a disastrous showing at the NFL combine, Clarett improved last month at a private workout near his hometown of Warren, Ohio, running a 4.67-second 40-yard dash.
Don't look for Clarett to get drafted any earlier than the fifth round, said Mike Mayock, draft analyst for the NFL Network.
Brandt points to Clarett wrestling the ball away from Sean Taylor after an interception — one of the most memorable plays of Ohio State's 31-24 victory over topranked Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl — for an example of why Clarett is worth drafting.
Clarett
It was a play that took great football sense, something his representatives have been promoting in recent weeks.
Clarett rushed for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman at Ohio State despite missing three games with injuries.
Clarett was charged with misdemeanor falsification for filing a police report claiming that more than $10,000 in clothing, CDs, cash and stereo equipment was stolen from a car he borrowed from a local dealership. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Ohio State athletic director Andy Geiger announced in September 2003 that Clarett was suspended for the season for receiving special benefits worth thousands of dollars from a family friend, and for misleading investigators.
"I guess it was a part of growing up and becoming who I am today. I did do some things I shouldn't have done." Maurice Clarett Former running back
Clarett then challenged the NFL's rule that a player must be out of high school three years to be eligible for the draft. Initially, a judge ruled in his favor, but an appellate court overturned the decision.
Clarett continued making headlines for all the wrong reasons, including his allegations that coach Jim Tressel arranged for him to get passing grades, cars and money for bogus summer jobs.
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He became a pariah as far as NFL teams were concerned.
"When I looked at myself, sometimes I kind of looked like a joke to myself," he said. "I guess it was a part of growing up and becoming who I am today. I did do some things I shouldn't have done."
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