Mazi Smith facing felony weapon charge
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/university-michigan/wolverines/2022/…
incident occurred 10/7 this year
December 1st, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
Precisely. Obviously MSU and OSU fans will jump to that conclusion. I really hope there’s a better explanation.
If the roles were reversed, and this happened in Columbus or East Lansing, we’d be doing the same.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Yeah this is a very frustrating response from the football program.
The correct course of action in my opinion would have been on 10/8 to just say "Mazi was cited for a felony weapons charge yesterday. He remains with the team until charges are filed and law enforcement resolves the matter."
December 1st, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
Yeah, what surprises me is the fact the charges weren't made until recently. A football team isn't likely to suspend a guy for the potential of charges in the future, but I also have to assume someone was made aware of this situation before yesterday.
A bad look for the AD and the AAPD on this one.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
Especially because Emoni Bates was also arrested for what looks to be the same offense, and was charged within a day or so.
Really interested to hear the Washtenaw DA talk about this month long delay
December 1st, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
I understand that the optics aren't great, but the criminal justice system moves sloooooowly.
it's not uncommon for there to be a several month lag between an incident and a prosecutor filing charges, even on fairly straightforward cases. For charges to be filed ~7 weeks after the incident is surprisingly fast, imo.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
Yep...
My OWVI conviction was 8 MONTHS after my arrest.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:37 PM ^
Well hopefully they’ll rush right through the rest of the proceedings and get this cleared out before the CFP.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:00 AM ^
looks like it happened 2 months ago, only coming out now
December 1st, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
Not good.
December 1st, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
Get emoni bates’ lawyer on the phone asap
December 1st, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
INNOCENT.
Go Blue.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
Til proven guilty right? I mean we can't be the fan base that kills everyone else for wrong doing and not have our own take full responsibility for their wrong doing.
December 1st, 2022 at 1:49 PM ^
Michigan vs Everyone.
Go Blue.
December 1st, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
It creates a difficult dilemma. He is entitled to defend himself against the charges, and if he is acquitted, he did not do anything wrong. And if he is suspended, it creates the assumption that he has.
This is going to be a hard issue to deal with.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
And if he is suspended, it creates the assumption that he has
I don't think this is the case. I think in a situation like this you have to suspend him until there is a resolution to the charges
December 1st, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
And then he is reinstated, after it is actually proven that he did something wrong? I just don't get that, and how that has become the new norm. He has not done anything wrong as of this time, if due process and innocent until proven guilty still mean anything.
December 1st, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
This is the specific law referenced in the charges:
750.227 Concealed weapons; carrying; penalty.
Sec. 227.
(1) A person shall not carry a dagger, dirk, stiletto, a double-edged nonfolding stabbing instrument of any length, or any other dangerous weapon, except a hunting knife adapted and carried as such, concealed on or about his or her person, or whether concealed or otherwise in any vehicle operated or occupied by the person, except in his or her dwelling house, place of business or on other land possessed by the person.
(2) A person shall not carry a pistol concealed on or about his or her person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle operated or occupied by the person, except in his or her dwelling house, place of business, or on other land possessed by the person, without a license to carry the pistol as provided by law and if licensed, shall not carry the pistol in a place or manner inconsistent with any restrictions upon such license.
(3) A person who violates this section is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or by a fine of not more than $2,500.00.
The circumstances around this are very odd though. Why wasn't he withheld from the IU game, which was played the day after the incident (I double-checked and confirmed he was a full participant; 53 snaps played)? Why was he just made available to the media a couple days ago, leading up to the B1G Championship game? Why is this just becoming known now? None of these things seem to indicate UM felt this was an issue. Which indicates to me one of two things: either there's something about the charges that are not as serious as they appear (which would make this not a big deal); or UM thought they could sweep this under the rug and it wouldn't come out (which would be a big deal).
December 1st, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
My girlfriend has stiletto's.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^
Is it possible that they were unaware of the incident when it occurred? I mean, charges weren't filed until yesterday, so maybe he wasn't arrested at the time and he somehow kept the incident (and the investigation that presumably led to these charges) secret from the coaches and the AD.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
I suppose that's a third possibility, in addition to the two I surmised. I would find that hard to believe though. Even if nothing was on public record from Oct. 7, I have to imagine someone from AAPD would have given a heads up to the AD.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
December 1st, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
The issue is that it is only an allegation, not a conviction. He has been accused of something, that's all. I don't really think that him being charged prior to the OSU game would have changed his status for that game, or at least it shouldn't. And who is Harbaugh to try to get an admission from him? He probably has a lawyer who has told him not to say anything to anybody.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
Would you rather go to prison for five years or pay a fine of $2,500?
December 1st, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^
Hell, I'd rather pay $25,000 than go to jail for 5 years.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:00 AM ^
Well this ain't no good.
I hope that no actual violence occurred in this incident. I would also be very interested in knowing whether the program and coaches became aware of this incident and the impending charges when it occurred and, if they did, why Mazi wasn't immediately suspended.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:05 AM ^
The possibility does exist that the first call Mazi made wasn’t to Harbaugh to confess his sins.
Smith might’ve tried to conceal it. We’ll know more soon enough.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^
seems like he should stop concealing things .... ba dum tsssss
i'll stop posting and go back to work.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:10 AM ^
If that is indeed the case, that Mazi didn't inform the program that he was under investigation over an incident that might result in felony charges and that they found out only when charges were filed like the rest of us, then that might be all she wrote for his career at Michigan.
As is the case with many misdeeds, the cover-up attempt draws a bigger hammer than than the crime itself.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
But he has not been convicted of a crime. And if he admits anything to anybody, that is actually admissible evidence. I don't think there is a chance that he played for two months and nobody knew about the investigation.
December 1st, 2022 at 1:00 PM ^
His attorney probably told him to remain silent on this issue. So, should Mazi violate his client privilege to tell the coach and university?
December 1st, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
I would be 100% shocked that the program wasn't aware that their All-B1G captain was arrested. Between relationships with local police, conversations with teammates, etc. the program knows almost every second of every minute of what these guys are doing on a daily basis.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
From everything I've seen so far, there is no indication that he was arrested. If he had been, I would expect this would have been public knowledge long before now, as arrest records are public info.
December 1st, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
If he had been arrested, there is ZERO percent chance that it would not have made the front page of ESPN within 12 hours. Arrest records are public.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:33 AM ^
If they knew about it and let him keep playing, that's a really bad look.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:02 AM ^
Nice of them to hold off on filing charges during our stretch run!
December 1st, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
Let's hope he has a good legal team, and the whole thing can be plead down to some minor stuff leading to 50 hours of community service or something. We definitely do not want something like this affecting the team in the crucial games coming up.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:07 AM ^
Fuck.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
What an idiot . Worst timing ever . Out anchor in D line and suppose to be a leader .
December 1st, 2022 at 11:09 AM ^
What an idiot. What could he possibly need a concealed weapon for? Another victim of America's moronic gun culture. Shame. Now all the wins with him playing this year are questionable (at least to anyone outside our fanbase, I'm sure).
December 1st, 2022 at 11:19 AM ^
there's lots of things people feel they need a concealed weapon for. you don't need to know their reasons. it's not your business whether, or why, people have firearms or choose to carry them.
he's not a "victim" ... bad decisions sure, but not a victim of some "culture."
if all he did was get busted for having a gun concealed without a CCL permit (see Emoni Bates) it's not a big deal (also see Emoni Bates)
December 1st, 2022 at 11:10 AM ^
Welp, our chances of winning a national championship just took a huge hit.
We can have nice things, but just up to a point.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:20 AM ^
That's crazy talk.... Purdue isn't even the 3rd best team we've faced this season, we beat ohio without Corum, the team MVP.... to say we're going to struggle against the boilermakers because Mazi can't play is, imo, a bit of an over reaction.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
But if you suspend him for the Purdue game, how can he not be suspended for the rest of the season?
December 1st, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
a one game suspension?
At this point, I don't know that any details are available as to the circumstances....
What if he was driving someone else's car and didn't know that there was a piece in the glove box or under the seat?
December 1st, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
This is precisely my point. If you suspend him now, it would basically have to be an indefinite suspension because nobody knows what happened, and he isn't going to admit to anything because he does not want to be convicted of a crime. And this isn't going to be wrapped up by the Playoff. The legal system basically shuts down from December 1 though January 1. You have to let the legal process play out, and then you take disciplinary action.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^
That would be called a 1 game suspension, i believe
December 1st, 2022 at 12:41 PM ^
Right, it's not like Purdue is going to decide to run it up the gut knowing that Mazi Smith is out. Purdue will do their perimeter and east/west fuckery all game long whether Mazi is in there or not. The only game I would be worried about missing Mazi, if we should be so fortunate to find ourselves in that position, would be Georgia. We would need all hands on deck for that one.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
It happened in Ann Arbor with AA police involvement. I don't think it's unreasonable for a team to take action once charges are formally filed; you'd think that something resembling assaultive behavior would have been charged sooner. Still, it is weird it took so long. That said, there is clearly nuance to this. You can legally own a pistol, and you can legally open carry it (depending on the location), but as soon as it becomes concealed, it is a crime unless you have a CPL. Like your shirt coming untucked and covering it is a crime. Concealing it in a car (glove compartment, center console) is the same thing. Unloaded and not accessible to the driver is different.
All of that said, he should absolutely sit for the B1G Championship.
December 1st, 2022 at 11:17 AM ^
I disagree. I think any penalty he is subjected to needs to come after a conviction, if he is in fact convicted.