WOLVERINES

Mbem-Bosse apologizes for tweets, claims harassment by UM Police

Angelique S. Chengelis
The Detroit News

 

Jim Harbaugh

Ann Arbor – Former Michigan linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse said in a message posted to his Twitter account on Sunday that he takes “full responsibility” for tweets that threatened Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.

Mbem-Bosse has been on Twitter for more than a week posting menacing messages, some about guns and violent behavior, and also what has been taken as a potential threat against Harbaugh.

“I take full responsibility for the tweets i (sic) made regarding the safety of Coach Harbaugh which I apologize fully for but being harassed by the university police and being told I’m mentally ill without proper evaluation is against my civil rights,” he wrote Sunday on Twitter. “AT the end of the day i want to play football!”

The University of Michigan Police Department opened an investigation into the tweets last Tuesday. Mbem-Bosse continued to tweet.

More: Loyalty to Jim Harbaugh kept Chris Partridge at Michigan

“While there has been no crime committed at this stage, we will continue to assess the situation,” Melissa Overton, Deputy Chief of Police of the University of Michigan police department, said Thursday in a statement.

The investigation continues.

“Nothing has changed and I can’t release anything else due to privacy laws,” Overton wrote to The Detroit News in an email Sunday. “We continue to assess and evaluate.”

Harbaugh has been coaching the team during spring practice, but said late last week the situation is not to be taken lightly.

“It’s a serious matter,” Harbaugh told The Detroit News last Thursday. “I’m confident our administration and university officials will take the proper steps and are taking the proper steps.”

Harbaugh was asked if he felt threatened by the tweets.

“That’s all I’m going to say about it,” he said. He issued the same response when asked when he became aware of the tweets.

Mbem-Bosse has contended he was kicked off the football team last November while he dealt with a family issue but was never offered an explanation. Harbaugh has a different take.

“He left the team in November,” Harbaugh said.

Elysee Mbem-Bosse

As recently as a day ago on Twitter, Mbem-Bosse tweeted: “If I really threaten someone than take me to jail don’t give me fake sympathy I don’t need it nor want it.”

And also, “All lies fabricated lies.”

In the longer post Sunday he said this situation has been hard on him “mentally, physically and emotionally.” He said he was kicked off the team without explanation.

“Why with no timetable for return,” he tweeted. “With a family depending on me and the game I love being taken away I constantly made efforts to get in contact with the university to talk about my role with the program. After numerous efforts I was giving multiple people to contact and nobody returned my calls.”

Earlier last week Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said Mbem-Bosse was still enrolled at Michigan. Manuel expressed concern for the well-being of Mbem-Bosse and said university officials had at that time reached out to him.

“Won’t comment on any of the pending investigation” Manuel said Wednesday. “Always concerned with anything that pops up about a threat and also concerned about him and where he is as a student.

“We care about all the student-athletes we have whether they’re on the team currently or not and so concerned on both ends.”