Former athletics staffer no longer employed at University of Michigan after arrest

Police say Fergus Connelly acted erratically after found near crash scene

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A University of Michigan athletics staff member is no longer employed at the university, according to school officials, after police said he was arrested last week for acting erratically near the scene of a crash.

Fergus Connelly has a doctorate and was director of performance science for the Michigan football team. Now he's under the microscope of the Ann Arbor police.

Connelly was a performance science expert handpicked by head coach Jim Harbaugh to come to U of M from the San Francisco 49ers.

But Connelly was involved with what Ann Arbor police called a bizarre episode before noon last Monday.

Police said calls came flooding in after several parked cars were hit by the driver of a dealer-issued Chevy Tahoe. Officers want to know if the Tahoe belongs to the University of Michigan.

While police were at the scene, another call for a person acting erratically came in from down the street. Connelly was found standing in a snowbank with no shoes on and blood on his feet.

Police said Connelly was uncooperative and allegedly threatened an officer.

Police got a warrant for Connelly's blood sample, and they said his erratic behavior continued at the hospital.

Connelly made $250,000 per year in his role with Michigan athletics. An athletic department spokesman confirmed he is no longer employed at Michigan, but was unable to comment further.


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