Three Michigan football players, including two returning starters, will miss the upcoming spring practice and possibly more after what appears to be a violation of team rules.
- Sarah Royce
- Michigan wide receiver Adrian Arrington during a September game. (PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily)
Wide receiver Adrian Arrington and tight end Carson Butler, both of whom were expected to be impact players this season, along with reserve defensive lineman Eugene Germany, will not join the Wolverines during the four week, 15-practice spring session, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said yesterday.
When asked if the three could return to the team in the fall if no other incidents arose, Carr didn’t sound overly optimistic.
“That is possible, but maybe not probable,” he said.
Carr did not use the word suspension and didn’t specifically go into the reason for the trio’s absence from spring practice, but he did reiterate his earlier statement at the end of his 50-minute long session with the media yesterday.
“They are not practicing, and they are not injured,” he said.
Arrington was not listed on the returning starters list provided to the media by the athletic department yesterday, but Butler was.
All three have had disciplinary issues in the past.
Two years ago, Arrington missed the team’s Alamo Bowl game for breaking team rules.
Then last season – in the middle of a breakout campaign in which the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native caught 40 passes for 544 yards and eight touchdowns – Arrington faced domestic violence charges.
Arrington was cleared on all charges after three court appearances and didn’t miss a game because of the incident – though he did sit out five plays against Michigan State.
He has two years of eligibility remaining for the Wolverines.
Butler, a tight end who started seven games last season as a redshirt freshman, didn’t travel to Michigan’s game against Minnesota on Sept. 30 last season for unspecified reasons.
With the graduation of tight end Tyler Ecker, Butler, who led all Wolverine tight ends with 19 catches last season, was expected to be the team’s starter next season.
Germany also didn’t make the trip to the Alamo Bowl two seasons ago for unspecified reasons.
A handful of other big-name starters will also miss spring practice.
Running back Mike Hart and guard Adam Kraus will both miss the entire spring due to injuries.
Kraus underwent offseason surgery, and Hart recently had a “minor arthroscopic procedure,” as Carr phrased it yesterday.
Star wideout Mario Manningham will see limited action with a lingering injury of his own.
Carr didn’t elaborate on any specific injuries, calling it confidential information.