ESPN: Report: Michigan's Zavier Simpson crashed car belonging to AD's family

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BleedGopher

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per ESPN:

Michigan guard Zavier Simpson crashed a vehicle registered to the wife of the Wolverines' athletic director late last month, shortly before the school announced he was suspended for a game.

Officers found Simpson outside the vehicle around 3 a.m. on Jan. 26, according to the police report, after the car had made contact with a pole and street sign. An officer said he did not notice any smell of intoxicant from Simpson's breath.

According to the police report, Simpson told officers his name was Jeff Jackson Simpson and that he had been walking down the street and noticed the crashed vehicle. When officers recognized him and asked why he had given a different name, Simpson said he didn't want to be involved with the crash report.

Simpson told police the car belonged to Evan Manuel, a student manager for the basketball team who is the son of athletic director Warde Manuel.

Police said Chrislan Manuel, Warde Manuel's wife and the registered owner of the car, spoke with Evan and told police that Simpson had been driving. When interviewed by an investigator, Simpson said he drove the car into a pole because of icy conditions.

Simpson received a citation for driving too fast for conditions.

www.espn.com

Michigan's Simpson crashed car of AD's family

Michigan guard Zavier Simpson reportedly crashed a vehicle registered to the wife of the Wolverines' athletic director late last month, shortly before the school announced he was suspended for a game.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Go Gophers!!
 


Powder said:
So, is it within NCAA regulations for staff members to loan vehicles to student/athletes?
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No, of course that would be a violation. Here it was the AD's wife's car that their son was usually driving, so it was just like a friend using another friend's car. /s/
 

Powder said:
So, is it within NCAA regulations for staff members to loan vehicles to student/athletes?
Click to expand...

That was my initial thought, but I do think it's complicated by the student manager being involved as the primary user of the car. If the car is primarily for the use of a student (who happens to have parents employed by the school) and he loans it to a friend on the team, I have a hard time viewing that as something that should be punished. Bad optics when it is presented as a headline, but unless there is something else that comes out like this student manager having a fleet of 12 BMWs that get "loaned" to players, I don't think it is out of line or unfair.
 



Lazy take: if he borrowed a friend in school's car and crashed it, and the car had been registered to the friend's mom, and the mom had nothing to do with athletics .... there is no story.

So I don't see why it would be any different, just because he happened to be friends with the AD's son.

Like I said, lazy.
 


So basically the student manager loans it to him 3 or 4 times a day? lol I wonder who's used the car more? The student manager or xavier simpson! lol
 

The NCAA Rulebook states that "Transportation, payment of expense, or loan of any automobile by a university booster" is defined as an impermissible benefit. A booster is defined as "representatives of the institutions athletic interests". Regardless of if the car belonged to the AD, the wife, or the son, it should be a violation.

Now, the NCAA can just say screw it because it's Michigan and let the school handle it.
 


















Powder said:
So, is it within NCAA regulations for staff members to loan vehicles to student/athletes?
Click to expand...
I'm sure he would have let any U of Michigan student drive it if they asked. Therefore it's fine.
 

"The NCAA has reason to believe Simpson was talking on his cell phone with someone from the state of Minnesota at the time of his accident. We do not condone talking on the cell phone while driving. As a result, we will penalize by reducing the number of scholarships available to the University of M...innesota."
 

As a matter of fact, If I remember correctly (and I'm sure someone on here will quickly correct me if I'm wrong), in the mid-seventies the entire Minnesota athletic department was put on indefinite probation because of a basketball player accepting a ride from an assistant coach (among other things).
 

I’m confident there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for this incident - I just haven’t heard it yet.
 

gray4heisman said:
The NCAA Rulebook states that "Transportation, payment of expense, or loan of any automobile by a university booster" is defined as an impermissible benefit. A booster is defined as "representatives of the institutions athletic interests". Regardless of if the car belonged to the AD, the wife, or the son, it should be a violation.
Click to expand...
That is incredibly vague language. Probably on purpose.

To me that’s simply there to allow them NCAA to more or less justify investigating any perceived violation they want. Or not/
 

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