ANN ARBOR -- Frank Clark's road to the NFL draft wasn't a normal one, not by a long shot.

The former Michigan defensive end was basically washed off the draft board of every team following a domestic violence arrest back in November -- an incident that cost him a spot on Michigan's team 10 games into the season.

But after Clark put together solid numbers at the NFL Combine in the winter, and saw his legal charges diminish down to a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge, he began to see plenty of interest from NFL clubs.

The Seattle Seahawks were basically at the top of that list.

On Friday, Seattle surprised plenty of analysts by making Clark the No. 63 overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft, taking a chance on a player who has had plenty of off-field issues -- including one that centered around a current hot-button NFL topic in domestic violence.

Speaking with reporters in Seattle on Friday night, Clark was asked about his arrest back in November, and asked if he admitted guilt and took blame for the entire incident.

"I believe I was wrong, and I am sorry," Clark said. "I put myself in a position I shouldn't have been in. I'm not saying I did anything as far as putting my hands on a woman, because the case played out and reflected that. But I do apologize to anyone it affected. Anyone who had to spend time with this. No one should have to go through this, whether you're the person looking at it or the woman in the midst of it. No one should have to go through that.

"No woman should have to go through anything like it. No woman should ever have a man put his hands (on her)."

The details of the November police report surrounding Clark's arrest were rather alarming. At the time, though, he maintained his innocence and felt confident the charges would eventually be reduced or dropped.

During his visit to Seattle before the draft, and in various conversations with team management, Clark said he was asked to explain exactly what happened that night inside a Sandusky, Ohio hotel room a number of times.

And each time he was asked, Clark says he told the truth.

"They asked me to the point where it was echoing through my mind," Clark said. "It was a question they continued to ask, and after a while they stopped asking because I feel like they felt confident in the answers I was giving them."

Speaking with reporters in Seattle, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said -- to his knowledge after his own personal research -- Clark never actually struck a woman during the incident. He explained how the team did more research on Clark than any other player in this year's draft, and maintained that there's "two sides to every story."

Schneider said the Seahawks tried to interview every person involved in the incident, but did not say he specifically interviewed Clark's girlfriend, Diamond Hurt, the person who was allegedly struck during the incident. He said the team interviewed counselors for both Clark and Hurt, and arrived at their eventual conclusion after that.

Both Schneider and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll touched on Clark's difficult upbringing during their interview, and Carroll said he relied on Clark's prep coach at Glenville (Ohio) High School, Tedd Ginn, Sr., for plenty of character background.

At the time of Clark's dismissal from the program, Schneider was in Ann Arbor for a pre-scheduled scouting trip. He said Michigan's staff and personnel were "shocked" by the arrest, and maintained that the team got enough information from U-M's staff to allow the team to feel confident in taking a chance on Clark in the second round. He also explained how there were a number of teams who were prepared to take Clark on Friday night, possibly early in the third round.

"It was a process," he said. "I was there two days after it happened. Our area (scout) went through there twice. Our regional scout went through there twice. We spent several days there. The easy thing to do was to dismiss this. But, over time and I don't want to get into specifics of it, things became clearer and clearer in the evaluation process.

"We brought him out here, he met with our sports psychologist. But to be there at the time, to see the secretary's reaction ... it was, like 'wow.' ... You get a really, really good feel for the individual (in doing that)."

Schneider also explained how Clark is on a shorter leash, off the field, than most prospects at this point. But maintained the franchise felt confident enough in its research to take the chance and select Clark.

Clark explained how he entered personal counseling before the November arrest, as he felt he needed to sharpen up his mind mentally for life in the NFL. He cited his rough upbringing in Los Angeles, and the immaturity that stemmed from that.

He explained how he now tries to take responsibility for all his actions -- including a 2012 felony arrest after he was accused of stealing a laptop on Michigan's campus.

"This challenged my faith, a lot. I'd never been a big prayer before, I was never one of those guys. But this challenged my faith, made me trust in God," Clark said. "I was in counseling to prepare myself for the NFL. I've had family struggles, different people in my family who were going to approach me and ask me different questions about money and those things and I wanted to try to figure out how to deal with those questions I knew I'd face in the future."

Prior to the draft, Clark reached out to various coaches and players in the NFL to seek advice. He also spoke with former Michigan coach Brady Hoke and current coach Jim Harbaugh.

Additionally, he spent time training with former Michigan strength and conditioning coach Mike Barwis at his gym in Plymouth. Clark credits Barwis for not only helping him get in great physical shape, but also for sharpening his mental stance on life in general outside of football.

Asked if he understands that there will be some Seahawk fans who won't initially accept him given his past, Clark said he did.

But at the same time, he asked them to give him a chance before making a final judgement.

"I don't believe in judging a book by its cover," Clark said. "Everyone who knows me says 'Frank's not an angry guy, the only time he's angry is on the field.' That's where I think the Seahawks want me to be angry.

"I want the fans and everyone to try and have faith in me. Give me a couple years to have faith in me. And I promise they won't be upset."

In terms of his fit in Seattle, Clark said he fell in love with the area on his visit to the franchise before the draft -- explaining that he'd never really been able to take in scenery like that growing up in a rough area of Los Angeles. "Where I come from, you don't see boats on the water," Clark said. "You see liquor stores on every corner."

The Seahawks are an organization that has taken chances in the draft on players with off-field issues before. Carroll and his staff have a relatively strong success rate at keeping troubled players focused on football, and away from problems.

But at the same time, Clark's clearly out of second chances. He says he knows this, too.

"I'm overwhelmed with joy, it's all so surreal and it hasn't even sunk in," he said. "It's an honor. It's a real honor.

"I'm only 21. My birthday is June 14. This is a privilege."



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