Jim Harbaugh addresses Mazi Smith felony charge, slams haters

Just before Michigan football set off for Bloomington to take on Indiana in Week 6, Wolverines team captain and star defensive tackle Mazi Smith was pulled over by law enforcement. During the stop, it was alleged he was illegally concealing a handgun. Days after the regular season ended, Smith was charged with a felony — a full seven weeks after the incident.

In the aftermath, there has been significant consternation about the program letting Smith play without any overt punishment, as well as charges of hypocrisy levied at Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit — mostly from rival fans who may have their own axe to grind given the situation that happened in the Lloyd Carr tunnel and the charges stemming from that incident following the Michigan State game.

While head coach Jim Harbaugh issued a joint statement with Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel last week. He further addressed the incident on Sunday evening during the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl press conference on Zoom, saying the University of Michigan brass is well-aware of what’s happened and are addressing it in-kind.

“We found out the day that it happened. Mazi was completely honest, upfront cooperative,” Harbaugh said. “Felt like — he gave us the exact circumstances. And then, as I said, this has been something that’s gone to the — I really respect to the justice system and feel like there’ll be a fair resolution that comes soon from that.

“As far as a decision on to play Mazi Smith, from the time of the incident through now and that’s a decision that’s made by our athletic director Warde Manuel and our president Santa Ono, and myself, all who know Mazi Smith, and know the kind of person he is and the trust that he’s built up in our program.”

See the 2022 Big Ten Championship game program here

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Harbaugh was further asked if the team has any kind of blanket felony charge policy, and the incident was insinuated to be similar to that of Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates, who had a similar charge, which was later dropped.

The Michigan head coach further stood up for Smith, noting that those who are speaking up about the incident need to let the facts come out through the legal process.

“I’m not gonna comment on whether I think it’s a felony or not or whether it should have been charged as a felony or not,” Harbaugh said. “But I think if you do your homework, you’re going to realize that this is — you can’t compare this to the low-hanging fruit that you think that that’s out — and I just encourage you not to pander to the Twittersphere and really the haters, you know? They’d like to drink their haterade and eat their hater tots.

“Let the facts come out. Let those let that be decided and adjudicated through the court system.”

Smith played in the Big Ten Championship game, which was the first game on the schedule following the announcement of his felony charge.

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Story originally appeared on Wolverines Wire