Toussaint Hit With DUI Comment Count

Brian

Blarg:

The Saline Police Department arrested University of Michigan starting running back Fitzgerald Toussaint in Ann Arbor Saturday night on charges of operating a vehicle while impaired, according to Detective Don Lupi.

Details are still forthcoming. DUI is usually a suspension-level offense even for a first-timer, so Michigan may have just lost its starting tailback for a slightly important game. A reminder: Stonum's enforced redshirt was after two DUIs and repeated failure to do what the court told him to. Toussaint's not in the same boat.

Comments

WolvinLA2

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:37 PM ^

I don't care when the court date is, and Hoke likely doesn't either. Hoke should sit down with Toussaint and ask him if he was driving drunk. If the answer is yes, it doesn't matter what the court says.

Wolverine0056

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:16 PM ^

Awesome...at least the Alabama game just became a litte harder to win.

Come on Rawls / Smith / Hayes. You guys are going to need to step it up and be ready to go. 

MGlobules

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^

the way alcohol--unlike puffinstuff--is just so damned socially accepted. If it were emphasized to kids that someone would come and get them ANY DAMNED WHERE after they'd had a few, would that help? We all know that you can be under the influence after very little drinking. . . 

Sweets114

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:24 PM ^

Really this sucks big time. There one thing that I stand firm against is DUI. Bone head move Fitz you could of killed others and yourself. This is not being a team player whatsoever. If Fitz is guilty he needs to be suspened for the first two games of the season, period. 

Wave83

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:27 PM ^

Hoke just announced that Fitz has been suspended indefinitely. 

 

Hoke (per Angelique):  "We will use this as an opportunity to educate Fitz and make sure he understands the high standards that we have established..."

Johnny Blood

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:31 PM ^

As a parent, I've learned that you have to be very consistent in how you apply discipline.  If we're going to set a high standard for our players, then have to apply that evenly to all players regardless of star-status on the team.

Which is why this is do damn disappointing on his part.  He should have known better.

Icehole Woody

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:35 PM ^

Maybe a clever lawyer could delay the hearing until after Sept. 1st?  That's not that far off and the court's calander my be full past then anyways.   Out for Air Force and U Mass would be OK.

LandryHD

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^

Make him work for the starting spot, Big House stairs 6am everyday til game week! He'll do it!

*Crap I didn't even hit submit twice....? :/*

MaizeMN

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:43 PM ^

or worse. I don't know if it makes a difference, but I believe there is a distinction between OWI and DWI. The extent of alcohol in the person's BAC is less in the OWI.

UMHockeyFan

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:46 PM ^

Four teenagers from my hometown were killed by drunk drivers within a week during the end of my sophomore year in HS.  The combination of alcohol and driving is deadly, and thankfully Fitz and Stonum were lucky enough to avoid hurting an innocent victim.  Perhaps we can all focus on how to prevent this from happening instead of talking about the Bama game. Maybe the parents of the victims listed below (or any others) could meet with the team to discuss the impact drunk driving can have as a start?

http://www.ashleysdream.org/
http://athens.troy.k12.mi.us/documents/Jeremy%20St.%20Cyr%20Scholarship…
http://athens.troy.k12.mi.us/documents/2012%20ANDREW_STINDT_MEMORIAL_SC…

CRex

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:49 PM ^

Following the last incident with DUI, I think we need to form a group to go remove the engine from his car.  He can have it back when he can legally drive again.  

WolvinLA2

July 23rd, 2012 at 6:40 PM ^

Even if that's the case (though it's likely not) how are you in any place to talk?

Would you say "Haha your coach is equally lenient as ours haha!"

But even Floyd had two MIPs before his DUI, and he still didn't miss any time.  Fitz has been clean of alcohol-related offenses before this one. 

phork

July 23rd, 2012 at 9:11 PM ^

I didn't say anything until your friend piped up.  As far as discipline is concerned, how about that Stonum incident, 3rd DUI, driving while suspended etc etc..  He gets "suspended"....errrr...."red shirted" for the year.  Can still practice with the team, loses no time.  Sorry, the track record here isn't all that great either.  Yes Stonum is off the team, only because he was stupid enough to drive on a suspended license for a second time.

Neither one of us is in a position to throw rocks in our shiny nice glass houses.

Class of 1817

July 23rd, 2012 at 2:58 PM ^

All right, now that I got that out of me...

Yeah, I would expect a 3-game suspension.

1) Glad Fitz didn't hurt himself or anyone else.

2) Let me repeat: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

ChiCityWolverine

July 23rd, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^

Fitz let his teammates, coaches, and university down. Give him his 1-3 game suspension that he just earned and give him a chance at redemption. People make mistakes and this is a stupid one, but he deserves a chance if he has the right attitude moving forward.

maizenbluenc

July 23rd, 2012 at 5:03 PM ^

I said this for Grady and Stonum, and they screwed up again / did not appear to learn. Hopefully Fitz will.

There are levels of stupidity ... drinking underage, sliding across a hood and drinking underage, drinking and driving, failing to show for court ordered counselling / testing / probation, etc., drinking and driving more than once, and drinking and driving more than once and failing to show more than once.

Drinking underage and sliding across hoods sound like dumb minor decisions. Somewhere in there is the point of no return, and given the state of affairs today, I wonder if the standard of 1-3 games for drunk driving is too low.

If the rule had been get caught drinking and driving and your redshirted for a seaon, loose a season of eligibility, or off the team, how many players would drink and drive?

robbyt003

July 23rd, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^

This is from thewolverine.com 


"Fitz made a poor decision and has been suspended indefinitely because of that action," Michigan coach Brady Hoke said in a statement released by the athletic department. 

"There are expectations that come with being a football student-athlete at the University of Michigan and those responsibilities were not met in this instance. We will use this as an opportunity to educate Fitz and make sure he understands the high standards that we have established within our program."

SeattleEd

July 23rd, 2012 at 3:04 PM ^

I'm getting ready to be stuffed into a PET Scan and had to check the blog before the test. No! No! No! He made a huge mistake and he will pay the price. But I'd rather find out I have cancer then this news. By the way I have cancer and it's overrated.