[Source] - Zavier Simpson’s one-game suspension last month came after he wrecked a car that belongs to athletic director Warde Manuel’s wife, according to a police report obtained by The Ann Arbor News/MLive.
The report also shows that the University of Michigan basketball star lied to officers about his name and whether he was driving when the vehicle crashed into a utility pole in Ann Arbor hours after Michigan’s loss to Illinois last month, according to the police report.
When Michigan's Zavier Simpson was suspended for their game against Nebraska, it didn't really make sense because other than consistently missing free throws this guy has done nothing wrong for Michigan. Well as it turns out, Simpson was suspended because he crashed his AD's car at 3 in the MORNING.
Simpson didn't steal the car at all so he's good on that end. He's friends with Manuel's son who is a manager on UM's basketball team, so that's how he ended up with the car. No biggie, I'd let my friends use my car in a pinch too. However, I'd just ask that they abstain from crashing it at 3am but that's just me. A little twist in the story though, we're not sure who was actually driving the car at the time of the crash.
Simpson initially told officers his name was Jeff Jackson Simpson and that he was walking down South Forest Avenue when he noticed the crashed vehicle, Ann Arbor police said in the report acquired via Freedom of Information Act request.
When officers recognized him as the point guard for the Wolverines, they asked him why he lied about his name. Simpson told officers he didn’t want to be involved in the crash report.
So my understanding is that police officers are just alleging what has happened. But since this is what they're saying, I have to respect Simpson's attempt to finesse police officers. Simpson crashed in a pretty public area of campus so he really had to act fast. Telling police officers that your name is Jeff Jackson Simpson and you just happened to walk up on the 3am crash is a super savvy move. A generic name like Jeff Jackson is perfect too, who would think twice? In fact let's see who pops up for other Jeff Jackson's after a basic google search.
Other notable Jeff Jackson's include, a North Carolina politician, a 1980s NHL player and current Notre Dame Hockey head coach, so Zavier Simpson definitely fits in and probably would have gotten away with it had he not added 'Simpson' at the end.. I get it, ya just smashed your AD's car into a utility pole and you really don't want to get in trouble (or so the police are alleging) but you can't give you own actual last name as apart of your fake name. Simpson has been Michigan's starting PG for the last 3.5 years and plays every game on TV, everyone in Michigan is going to recognize you.
Officers noticed Simpson stumbling when entering the car as the point guard said he was trying to retrieve proof that it was Evan Manuel’s car, the police report says.
An officer said he did not notice any odor of intoxicant on Simpson’s breath.
Nothing suspicious to see here, just Zavier Simpson being the true Michigan man he is and so willingly taking the fall for Jeff Jackson Simpson. An all around class act on his part, I expect nothing less from a guy like this.
Even more remarkable is that despite stumbling while getting the vehicles registration, he was not given any sort of a field sobriety test or breathalyzer. I'm not saying that he was intoxicated, he or Jeff Jackson just crashed in to a damn utility pole so he could have been a little dazed. I am just saying that it's a little weird that nothing else was done because if it were you or it likely would be a little different situation.
But I get it, things like this happen on college campuses all around the country at varying levels, this is no isolated event by any means. Simpson was issued a traffic citation for his reckless driving on slippery roads and he had to miss his game against 7-14 Nebraska, so justice was served. If you're from Michigan you know what it's like to drive on those slick roads during the winter, so we can all relate. Good luck finding yourself a PG willing to take one for the team like Zavier Simpson, Jeff Jackson Simpson should be super thankful. Chalk another win up the Michigan man.
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