For the former, a federal judge has ruled against the league's wishes and has allowed superstar running back Maurice Clarett to apply for the 2004 N.F.L. draft. This on the heels of the Super Bowl Sunday halftime debacle. Ouch.

For O.S.U., it is a continuation of one of the more trying episodes in University history, with the 2002 Buckeyes All-American, his never-at-a-loss-for-words mother Michelle, a battery of lawyers and other hangers-on.

The Maurice Clarett Saga is a "gift" that just keeps on giving to those (ummm, Michigan alumni, for example?) who savor every juicy detail of an ongoing Dostoyevskyan plot that would drown most folks in details. Talk about the devil!

Within the confines of the great state of Ohio, there have been more timelines chronicled regarding the former (and future?) Ohio State All-American running back than you'd find on Ohio political history.

It seems nearly everybody from Ashtabula to Blue Ash is asking, "What's up with Maurice?"

Good question. The New York-based federal judge, one Shira Scheindlin (is she related to Judge Judy?), ruled that young Mr. Clarett, who had repeatedly announced his intentions to apply for the N.F.L. draft and that set off a wave pool of reaction from Columbus to Columbus Circle...and beyond.

For the uninitiated, Clarett was the key ingredient in O.S.U.'s glory-filled run to the 2002 national collegiate title, scoring 13 touchdowns despite a series of injuries and leading the Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 season.

During the year, he offered a few too many tell-tale windows to his underprivileged background...

• He asked O.S.U. coach Jim Tressel if he could have a couple of days off during a critical late-season stretch to attend the funeral of one of his friends, who had been killed on the mean streets of his native Youngstown.

• He made it clear he was interested — or, perhaps more accurately, SHE (Michelle) was interested – in setting a precedent and declaring for the N.F.L. draft.

• Ah yes, Ms. Michelle. More about her constant influence straight ahead. But know her face was well known on the O.S.U. campus, marke it down.

• He stirred the pot repeatedly and was your classic high-maintenance team member.

By spring, 2003, the picture included association with a known gambler, Robert Dellimuti, who had been something of a surrogate father to Clarett as he rewrote the Warren G. Harding High School record book in neighboring Warren, after transferring from Youngstown Central.

But like so many gray areas of the N.C.A.A., Dellimuti's relationship with Clarett became clouded with potential interpretations of violations of that organization's infamous thou-shalt-not tome.

In addition, he'd allegedly placed some 27 calls to an offshore sports book in Costa Rica, 10 within 3 weeks of the Fiesta Bowl. More red flags go up.

"If we prove or someone proves that an athlete or coach is associated with a known gambler, we and the institution will sit down...and figure out a plan of action," William Saum, N.C.A.A. Director of Agents, Gambling and Amateur Activities told ESPN.com.

But wait, there's more.

Car usage. Other perks.

And then, Clarett wound up in a snaggle with the real law when, after his pal's car had been broken into, he over-reported the value of the stolen property.

Mike Freeman, a reporter for The New York Times, eagerly chronicled every part of this, perhaps with, you should pardon the expression, a bit of a sophomoric zeal.

It was a story that included a bit of writer's embellishment, where his attribution to one professor in particular regarding course and class participation was highly questionable, an account that both O.S.U. folks and Ohio media saw as containing almost as much fiction as fact.

Freeman later accepted a job at The Indianapolis Star, only to be caught in a George O'Leary-type controversy, misrepresenting his college background and subsequently losing his new position.

O'Leary, you may remember, appeared to be the successor to fired Bob Davie, only to lose the position when it was revealed he misrepresented his educational and football background on his resume. Subsequently, Ty Willingham wound up with the job.

In the spring of 2003, Mrs. Clarett led a cadre of, shall we say, activists to a sitdown with Andy Geiger, Ohio State's athletic director, as the young man considered suing the University. Causists such as Jim Brown joined in and it seemed to attract almost as much coverage as the little scrimmage taking place in a sandy arena half a world away.

To recap, some major questions:

• Is Ohio State in damage control mode now because the issue of Clarett's association with Dellimuti?

• Exactly why is Mrs. Clarett, a Youngstown Municipal Court clerk, so militant regarding her son's relationship with both the N.F.L. and Ohio State?

• And although it has been established Maurice Clarett will most likely not be a 2007 Rhodes Scholarship candidate, would it be possible for him to be a bit more selective in choosing his friends?

Questions, questions, questions.

And no answers for the foreseeable future.