Greg Scruggs has resigned as Michigan’s defensive line coach, football head coach Sherrone Moore announced Thursday.
Scruggs, 33, was arrested early Saturday morning in downtown Ann Arbor for driving while intoxicated and was suspended indefinitely by the university that same day.
“I just received notice that Greg Scruggs has resigned from his position, effective immediately,” Moore said in a statement Thursday. “I am unable to comment further as this is a University matter.”
According to a police report acquired by MLive, Scruggs’ vehicle was stopped at the junction of East William Street and South Fourth Avenue with its hazard lights turned on. Police pulled up next to Scruggs’ vehicle, and the Wolverines’ assistant coach, who was hired just this month, told officers he was on his way home.
According to the police report, he informed authorities that he had been at the Chop House until 11:30 p.m., when he claimed to have had two beers, before going to Pretzel Bell, where he claimed to have had none.
Officers scented alcohol on his breath and urged him to stop into a nearby gas station for field sobriety testing. According to the police report, Scruggs had bloodshot eyes and staggered while doing a one-leg stand test.
Police apprehended him about 3 a.m., and his vehicle was towed.
According to the police report, Scruggs initially declined a breathalyzer at the police station but subsequently consented to take the test at 3:34 a.m. after asking authorities if he could be freed sooner if he took the test or not, citing a work meeting at 10 a.m. Scruggs had a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.16 on the first breathalyzer test, which was double the state’s legal limit of 0.08. He took another test five minutes later and blew a 0.17, according to the police report.
“Greg made an unfortunate mistake and was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated,” Moore stated Saturday afternoon. “He made no excuses and accepted responsibility for his actions.” The football program and athletic department have suspended Greg indefinitely while we investigate the situation.”
Scruggs, a senior at the University of Louisville, was arrested in December 2011 for driving under the influence and suspended from the football team’s Belk Bowl game.
His resignation came the same week the Wolverines began spring practice. Moore, who took over for Jim Harbaugh in February, had recently hired Ohio State running backs coach Tony Alford on March 13 to round up his on-field staff. Scruggs’ departure creates another opportunity.
“We’ll move quickly but carefully and do what we have to do,” Moore told reporters Thursday afternoon. “But we have a collective team coaching the D line, and we’ve been really pleased with how things have gone over the last few days. Because we are all coaching every position, the entire defensive staff will be fully engaged. I’m looking forward to keeping things going.
Moore’s move to head coach has not gone well. Michigan lost its entire defensive staff from the previous season, including four on-field assistants, to the NFL. Also last month, allegations circulated that Michigan had hired Houston Texans safeties coach Stephen Adegoke, a former Michigan graduate assistant who eventually elected to stay in Houston. Moore promptly reacted and hired LaMar Morgan from Louisiana.
“I think it’s life as a head coach,” Moore said Thursday. “You’ll go through ups and downs, and things will happen. You must be able to improvise and adjust, and be willing to do so.
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