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Michigan Wolverines senior point guard Zavier Simpson was handed a one-game suspension earlier this week for a violation of team rules, leaving the team without its captain in the win over Nebraska. At this point, it remains unclear what the next step is.
Head coach Juwan Howard told the media on Friday afternoon that he is “still evaluating” whether or not Simpson will return on Saturday for the game at Madison Square Garden against Rutgers.
Howard says Zavier Simpson practiced yesterday. He repeats that his playing status is still be "evaluated.
— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) January 31, 2020
Fwiw, Michigan leaves at 6 pm today for NYC.
Still no specifics given of the suspension. Howard says Simpson has handled the situation "respectfully."
“We haven’t decided (whether he will play and travel to Rutgers),” Howard told the media on Friday. ”He’s doing the steps needed and asked by myself, the coaching staff, the University and his teammates.”
Simpson’s suspension was announced on Monday afternoon and initially described as being just for one game at Nebraska, but Howard had left the door open for it to go longer after evaluating the situation.
“Unfortunately for X, as you heard, there’s a suspension,” Howard said on Monday. “We have to further look at this thing deeper and deeper and see what we’re going to do moving forward.
“He was disappointed for many reasons, but overall, he knows that the team is going to miss him,” Howard continued after being asked for Simpson’s reaction. “He let his teammates down.”
No reason has been given as of this posting as to what the team rule he broke was.
Saturday’s game at Madison Square Garden in New York tips off at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast via Big Ten Network.