Staff photo / Guy Vogrin Former football standout Maurice Clarett talks to Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities Superintendent Bill Whitacre, right, after the county commissioners meeting Thursday. Clarett’s Red Zone Charities received a $155,000 county outlay of American Rescue Plan money to help with furnishings and remodeling a former school in Struthers.

YOUNGSTOWN — Former Ohio State and Warren G. Harding High School football star Maurice Clarett, who is an entrepreneur out of Columbus dealing with counseling and medical practitioners, visited Mahoning County commissioners Thursday to receive some $155,000 of the county’s American Rescue Plan funding.

The money will help his Red Zone charities organization refurbish a former school building in Struthers.

Clarett drove with a former NFL standout, Jay Richardson, to arrive at the courthouse just in time for the start of commissioners’ regularly scheduled meeting. He apologized for his dress.

“I usually don’t know how these governmental things work,” Clarett said in discussing the need for help in renovating the former school at 14 Highland Ave. in Struthers. “We have some 20,000 square feet and 110 employees. We have a lot of talented people who want to help out.”

He said the Struthers facility, as well as another medical facility at 420 Oak Hill Ave. in Youngstown, offers psychological support to children as well as drug and alcohol treatment for adults. The Oak Hill facility, in which he said his group has invested $1 million, has additional services for vascular surgery and urgent care opportunities. He said his counselors engage about 500 children daily through the cooperation of Youngstown City Schools and other area school districts.

“This is where I would like to invest dollars in regards to entrepreneurship and to partner with the various social services,” Clarett told the board.

Clarett led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a national championship in 2002 but his football career was sidetracked by a host of legal problems. Clarett, who played football at both Austintown Fitch and Warren Harding, said he always looks forward to returning home and giving back to the community.

Commissioner Carol Rimedio-Righetti said there are other projects that Clarett may be willing to help, such as the businesses that are being displaced by Youngstown city’s renovation at 20 Federal Place downtown.

“You may be sorry that you gave me your phone number,” she told Clarett.

Rimedio-Righetti told the former gridder she would like to tour the facility in Struthers.

Some $5,000 of the ARP funding given to Red Zone Charities will be forwarded to the Little Redmen football program on the South Side so that it can purchase new uniforms.

Red Zone was founded by Clarett in 2016 and had operated behavior and mental health services in both the Youngstown and Columbus areas.

OTHER AWARDS

Also receiving ARP funding was the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities, which received a $50,000 check from commissioners that will go toward the new playground planned for the Leonard Kirtz School. Superintendent Bill Whitacre said the students have raised some of their own money through various fundraisers and the board has earmarked about $400,000 for the project.

Commissioners received dozens of thank-you notes from the MCBDD students for their contribution.

Other ARP funding approved by the board included $150,000 to the restroom building project at Boardman Township Park and $7,900 to the Mahoning Valley United Way.