No clemency request by former Ohio State football star

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Former Ohio State football star Maurice Clarett has withdrawn a request for early release from prison that he said would allow him to pursue an NFL career.

Prisons spokeswoman JoEllen Culp said today that a letter from Clarett explaining his decision arrived at the Ohio Parole Board on Monday.

Clarett had argued that the sooner he was released, the sooner he could make a comeback, possibly in the NFL.

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien objected, saying the former Buckeyes standout hadn't made a strong case to be released so early in his prison term.

Clarett was sentenced in September 2006 to serve at least 3 1/2 years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar and a separate highway chase earlier that year.

He could still be out as early as March.