A bizarre season continues at Michigan. On Wednesday, the school announced that sophomore point guard Dug McDaniel will sit for the team's road games "until further notice." He is eligible and active for Michigan's home games over that span, according to coach Juwan Howard.
The Wolverines' next game is Thursday at Maryland.
"We have very high standards within our program, culture and university," Howard said in a statement. "Serving as mentors, we need to set the standards and pathways for our young men to succeed."
McDaniel took to social media and clarified that he'll be suspended for six road games.
"Dug will dress for home games, however, when we are away from Ann Arbor, he will work towards meeting several academic goals he has set and needs to meet," Howard said. "While I am disappointed, this is not something we take lightly. This is an important step for Dug and his success as a student-athlete."
The school's punishment is uncommon, to put it lightly. Suspension for a player almost always means consecutive missed competition as opposed to alternating time on/off.
The news is the latest off-court headline for a program that's been mired in off-court noise all season. Howard was subject to a human resources review after he had a heated encounter with Michigan strength and conditioning coach Jon Sanderson, sources previously told CBS Sports. Howard, who did not coach the first six weeks of the season after recovering from heart surgery, was not disciplined for the incident.
As for McDaniel, he's been the key contributor on an underachieving UM team. The Wolverines are 6-9. McDaniel was a starter and averages 17.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds. If his suspension holds as planned, he would be clear to return for all competition after Michigan's Feb. 22 game at Northwestern.
