Ann Arbor, MI (My Sportsbook) - University of Michigan defensive standout Marlin Jackson, who pleaded guilty to aggravated assault last week, has been suspended for the Wolverines' season-opener. "Marlin is not going to play in the first game," head coach Lloyd Carr told the Detroit Free Press. "It's a disciplinary action. That's all I'm going to say." According to a police report, the 20-year-old Jackson struck a man in the eye near the University of Michigan campus on June 1. The man needed 17 stitches for the injury. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a felony charge of assault that carried a sentence of up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine. Sentencing for the aggravated assault charge is scheduled for September 11. Jackson is a leading candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award, presented annually to the nation's outstanding defensive back. It marks the second straight season that Jackson has been named to the preseason watch list for the prestigious award. He is a two-year letterman and starter who enters the 2003 campaign needing two tackles for 100 in his career. He had six interceptions in his first two years with the Wolverines. The Wolverines open the season August 30 at home against Central Michigan |
