Michigan lineman Mazi Smith facing concealed weapon charge
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan standout defensive lineman Mazi Smith has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon, nearly two months after a traffic stop.
The felony charge was filed Wednesday in an Ann Arbor court. Smith, a 21-year-old senior and team co-captain from Grand Rapids, Michigan, had four tackles and one assist against Indiana on Oct. 8, the day after the incident.
No. 2 Michigan, which is expected to make the four-team College Football Playoff field for a second straight year, is playing Purdue in Indianapolis on Saturday for the Big Ten championship.
Smith will continue to participate with the team, athletic director Warde Manuel said Thursday.
"Mazi was honest, forthcoming and cooperative from the very beginning and is a tremendous young man. He is not and never has been considered a threat to the university or community," Manuel said.
Coach Jim Harbaugh said he's confident that a "fair and just resolution is forthcoming."
"Mazi's character and the trust that he has earned over the past four years will continue to be considered throughout the process," Harbaugh said.
A message seeking comment from Smith's attorney wasn't returned.
In an emailed statement to CBS Detroit, Washtenaw County prosecutor Eli Savit says his office received a police report on Oct. 17 and approved a request for charges on Nov. 17.
"This is an unremarkable timeline for cases that are submitted to us when a defendant is not in custody," says Savit. "If a defendant is in custody (that is, was arrested at the scene), we need to process cases faster—within 48 hours—and we have a separate queue set up to review in-custody cases. But when a defendant is not in custody, authorization of charges generally moves slower, and the timeline here was not remarkable."
The 6-foot-3, 337-pound Smith had a tackle and three assists in last weekend's 45-23 victory over Ohio State. He has started in all 26 games for the Wolverines over the past two seasons.
The same prosecutor's office struck a deal with Eastern Michigan basketball star Emoni Bates who was arrested and similarly charged in September with carrying a concealed weapon in a car. Bates settled the matter with a misdemeanor. He said it was not his car or gun.
