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Police investigation into tweets aimed at Jim Harbaugh continues

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh looks for a holding during the second half of the Outback Bowl NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla. South Carolina won the game 26-19.

The University of Michigan Police Department is still in the process of an investigation centered on perceived threatening tweets sent by a former Michigan football player toward Jim Harbaugh.

Per a spokesperson today, the process of investigating the matter is still ongoing and the UMPD has kept the Ann Arbor Police Department in the loop with regard to everything happening with the situation.

Police confirmed an investigation had begun Tuesday after several menacing tweets, one eventually tagging Harbaugh, were sent by an account purportedly belonging to now former Michigan linebacker Elysee Mbem-Bosse.

Tweets from the account earlier in the week included: “Michigan is open carry. Let’s not forget that. Not your friend” and “They sent someone to my crib before. I was nice enough to call the cops next time I’m calling the morgue. I’m talking with facts.”

Michigan’s only official statement on the matter came later in the day Tuesday: “Elysee (Mbem-Bosse) left the football program in mid-November and is no longer with the team.”

The Twitter account purportedly belonging to Mbem-Bosse made claims he was suspended by Michigan in November after he had to deal with a “family crisis.” The original tweet that tagged Harbaugh read: “And was suspended for going to take care of my family. You (expletive) (clown emoji).”

On Wednesday, the account tagged Harbaugh again with tweets asking: “what’s my status on the team,” “let’s ask him” and “hope you did everything the right way.”

The account also posted a screen shot of a letter sent to Mbem-Bosse from Michigan financial services coordinator Kelly Robinson informing him that the athletic department would be cancelling his “Athletic Aid” at the end of the 2018 winter term. The date of the letter was not shown.

Also on Wednesday, an Instagram account with the same handle shared portions of an unaddressed letter claiming Mbem-Bosse has “For several months been sidelined without an explanation as to what he did or did not do to deserve this treatment. He currently does not know what his status is and where his academic and scholarship situation stands.”

Asked today for clarification on what the details of Mbem-Bosse’s exit from the team were, a Michigan spokesman said the athletic department could not offer further comment as the matter is an ongoing police investigation.

Speaking with reporters Wednesday in Ann Arbor, athletic director Warde Manuel said the athletic department has reached out to Mbem-Bosse since the situation began. He also expressed concern for both the threatening tweets and the well-being of the student — who, to his knowledge, is still enrolled at Michigan.

“Won’t comment on any of the pending investigation,” Manuel said. “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 of the student-athletes we have, whether or not they are on the team currently or not. And so, both concerned on all ends.

“We’re working on it, everybody in the university that needs to be around this to try to resolve it. We’ll continue to do that.”

Mbem-Bosse came to Michigan as a linebacker recruit from Ellenwood, Ga., in 2016. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman before appearing in four games as a sophomore in 2017. He last played with the team during a win at Maryland on Nov. 11.

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