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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Senior point guard served his one-game suspension for a violation of team rules that included being out past curfew and wrecking a car that belonged to the wife of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel.
But after details of the accident and the following interaction Simpson had with police officers surfaced, the situation became far more complicated than previously thought.
Following a 77-68 victory over Michigan State – in which Simpson scored 16 points and hit 4-of-7 attempts from the three-point line – the senior was asked how a week under the microscope affected his preparation for the Spartans.
“I didn’t want to be selfish and let that affect me, because in the end, my teammates want this win, so I can’t let that come to the sideline over things that matter,” Simpson said. “That would be selfish of me. So, I just wanted to come in, lock in on this game and do it for my teammates.”
With Saturday afternoon being his first opportunity to speak to the media after additional details of his suspension came to light, Simpson was asked if he wanted to address the incident and clear anything up.
“At the end of the day, we all make mistakes,” Simpson said. “I made a mistake that I owned up to. I apologize to my teammates, my family, my friends and also to the fans. I’m just glad, at the end of the day, I’m safe and no one else was involved. I just wanted to come out and play hard for my teammates. A situation like that, things could’ve been worse, but I’m blessed to be here. So, we thank God for that.”
The senior said he was motivated by his appreciation of his fellow Wolverines to put the situation behind.
“I just wanted to come out and win. Any win feels good, no matter what you’re going through. But at the same time, as humans, we’ve got to be able to be selfless. My teammates work hard, and they were not involved in any of it, so it would have been selfish of me to have that on my mind during practice or outside-the-court activities during team-bonding, things that I’m at.”
Simpson’s contribution towards Michigan’s victory on Saturday was noted both by his head coach Juwan Howard and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. In addition to his four made-threes, the senior handed out eight assists and four rebounds.
It’s a matter of debate whether Simpson should have faced a harsher punishment than a one-game suspension for the 3 a.m. accident and for lying to police about his identity. It’s fair to say the situation could’ve been handled more appropriately by all parties involved, including Simpson, the university and the police department.
However, Simpson was adamant that his focus was on the road ahead, not on the incident or the public response to it.
Michigan will travel to Northwestern on Wednesday as it continues Big Ten play.