Believe it or not, former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett will root for Michigan in the College Football Playoff National Championship on Monday night.
Clarett is rooting for Ohio State’s biggest rival because he’s a fan of Jim Harbaugh. At least that’s what he said in a lengthy social media post.
Clarett applauded Harbaugh for pointing out that colleges around the country are making money off the athletes. Harbaugh would like to see coaches, administrators, and others take pay cuts to give the players a bigger slice of the pie.
“I don’t care what team you’ve played for and I don’t care what sport you’ve played. Jim Harbaugh and any other coach who has the balls to talk like this while on the national stage has to be celebrated and commended,” Clarett wrote. “He’s advancing the conversation and forcing people to have discussions about revenue and throwing out possible solutions for players to benefit.
“He’s now my favorite college coach after Jim Tressel. I don’t care about any rivalry that much. I care about the advancement of the sport. I was essentially suspended for improper benefits which derived from not having money. I understand and lived the downside of this. There’s lots of kids in similar situations.
“Much respect to Harbaugh and good luck to Michigan on Monday. I hope they win and he sings this message louder. I’m a Big 10 fan after Ohio State is out of the running. @coachclink is also like my older brother. We played for the same little league team as kids. Our entire families know one another.”
I called this out yesterday on @itiswhatitis_talk when I was discussing why I’m rooting for Michigan with @mr_camron @treasurewilsxn and @rsvpmase
I don’t care what team you’ve played for and I don’t care what sport you’ve played. Jim Harbaugh and any other coach who has the… pic.twitter.com/nQ7LQ1yw50
— Maurice Clarett (@ReeseClarett13) January 6, 2024
Ohio State fans won’t be rooting for Michigan on Monday night regardless of how they feel about Harbaugh’s message.
The national title game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.