The story behind Michigan's dismissal of Feagin
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg
Two and a half weeks after Michigan dismissed slot receiver Justin Feagin for violating team rules, the real reasons behind Feagin's release have come to light.
The Detroit Free Press has a comprehensive report about Feagin's dismissal, which details his involvement in a failed cocaine deal that led to a fire near his dorm room at Michigan.
The detailed police report contains a police interview with Feagin, who admits he used to sell drugs in his home state of Florida and said he arranged a cocaine deal for a fellow Michigan student in exchange for $600. The Michigan student, T.J. Burke, tells police that Feagin was known to sell marijuana.
Last week, Burke pleaded guilty to felony arson and faces up to 10 years in prison. ESPN's Joe Schad reported Friday that Feagin likely will transfer to Appalachian State and could play this season for the Mountaineers.
Needless to say, this isn't good for Michigan, which opens preseason camp Monday and hopes to turn the page on a disastrous 2008 season. The worst part isn't even the Feagin-Burke hullabaloo, but the fact that Feagin came to Michigan with a checkered past and seemingly continued his troublesome ways after arriving on campus.
Feagin was a late addition to head coach Rich Rodriguez's first recruiting class, and Rodriguez will undoubtedly be asked Monday how much he knew of Feagin's problems in Florida.
Rodriguez has taken heat for the number of players who have left the program since his arrival, and some have questioned whether the program's culture has changed for the worse. I doubt the Feagin story will linger too long, as quarterback Tate Forcier's preseason progress and other on-field issues take precedence, but it could hurt Rodriguez if more personnel problems crop up down the line.




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