Former Michigan football star Denard Robinson no longer with program following arrest
Denard Robinson, a former star quarterback for Michigan football who was on staff for the past two years, is no longer part of the program after he was arrested for allegedly operating a vehicle while intoxicated last month.
Dave Ablauf, a team spokesman, confirmed the news to the Free Press on Tuesday, though he would not elaborate if Robinson, 33, was released from his position or if he stepped down on his own.
"I can't comment further," Ablauf said. "It is a personnel matter."
A separate message to Ann Arbor Police was not immediately returned.
Robinson was suspended indefinitely by head coach Sherrone Moore on April 15, just hours after he was arrested at approximately 3 a.m. According to police, Robinson was involved in a single-vehicle crash at the corner of East Eisenhower Parkway and South State Street in Ann Arbor, just a few miles south of the team headquarters.
A freedom of information act request by the Free Press for a copy of the police report was denied by Ann Arbor Police on April 23 since "the records you have requested are under investigation."
"We are aware of an incident involving Denard Robinson and have suspended him indefinitely," Moore said in a statement at the time. "We will continue to monitor the situation and will have no further comment at this time."
Robinson returned to U-M as a support staffer for former head coach Jim Harbaugh in 2022 and last year joined the recruiting staff. An All-American during his playing days (2009-12), Robinson set program, Big Ten and NCAA records for a quarterback when he became the first player in college football history to pass and run for more than 1,500 yards in a season.
Nicknamed "Shoelace" because he played in untied shoes, Robinson set the NCAA record for career rushing yards by a quarterback (4,495 yards) and single-season rushing yards (1,702) and was the last cover athlete for the EA Sports video game "NCAA Football 14," the last iteration for a decade.
Robinson was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL draft and played for four years in the NFL where he ran 263 times for 1,058 yards (4.0 yards per attempt) and five touchdowns.
Robinson is one of two former U-M staffers to lose their job on the heels of an alleged arrest for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Greg Scruggs, the former defensive line coach, was arrested just a few weeks before Robinson when he was found asleep at the wheel after he told Ann Arbor police he was driving home after a night out.
Scruggs was arraigned last month and entered a plea deal to reduce the charge to operating a motor vehicle while impaired. Scruggs has been arrested twice before for incidents related to driving vehicles while impaired; he is scheduled to be sentenced on May 24.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Michigan football QB, staffer Denard Robinson no longer with program
