The Michigan Wolverines are without two players right now, even if Jim Harbaugh won't confirm who those players are.
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Harbaugh took to the podium after practice on Monday to address the media, and one revelation was that two of his players were unavailable due to suspension (via MLive.com):
"Two of those players are suspended," Harbaugh said. "I know you like to ask a lot of questions, but we'll handle that internally."
From there, speculation began surrounding three (yes, three) players who were absent from the team photo earlier this month, as freshmen Ahmir Mitchell, Kareem Walker and Shelton Johnson were missing in action.
Later, a report surfaced that it was Johnson and Mitchell who were suspended, with some cloud of uncertainty surrounding Walker.
Shelton Johnson and Ahmir Mitchell are the suspended players
— Josh Henschke (@JoshHenschke) August 15, 2016
Mitchell, who was an early enrollee, is expected to make an impact down the line at the wide receiver position. As for Johnson, he was a redshirt during the 2015 campaign that arrived in Ann Arbor from Florida as a highly touted defensive line prospect.
In some ways, the news that Walker is not suspended is the best case scenario for Michigan, as he was a former five-star running back with lofty expectations. At the same time, it is never ideal for freshmen to be caught up in scandal at this early stage and Harbaugh did not seem pleased to be addressing these concerns.
In fact, Harbaugh essentially closed down his interview period with this response to a second inquiry about the suspensions (via MLive.com):
"That's why I don't give you any information because you're never satisfied," he said. "You always want a second question, a third question, a fourth question. I just said we'd handle it internally. Thank you."
That's Harbaugh being Harbaugh, but more details will certainly surface in the coming days. Stay tuned.
