Michigan Wolverine Hockey Player Booted From Team For Vandalism

A University of Michigan hockey player has been booted from the team after he was found to have defaced property on campus.

Sophomore Johnny Druskinis has been removed from the team just as the Wolverines season is getting underway after it was found that he had vandalized the sidewalk outside of the university's Jewish Resource Center.

Back in August, Ann Arbor police released a video of two individuals — a male and female — defacing the sidewalk. The two spray-painted the sidewalk with a picture of male genitals and a homophobic slur.

Michigan Daily reported late last month that Druskinis had been removed from the Wolverines hockey team. However, no specifics were given for his dismissal, only that he had violated team rules.

“Johnny Druskinis is no longer on the Michigan Hockey roster, following a violation of team rules,” a Michigan hockey spokesperson told the outlet in a statement.

Watchdog Group Wants Stiffer Penalties For Former Michigan Hockey Player

According to the Detroit Free Press, a watchdog group called StopAntisemitism said that Druskinis had been involved in the vandalism. This was something they said several students in the area attested to. Both vandals are alleged to have been intoxicated at the time of the incident.

StopAntisemitsm's executive director Liora Rez argued that getting the boot from the hockey team wasn't enough punishment for Druskinis' actions.

"Druskinis is a Michigan student first and a hockey player second," she said. "Fighting the nationwide campus antisemitism crisis requires recognizing that adults bear responsibility for their actions; if Michigan believed his disgusting behavior warranted dismissal from the hockey team, they should seriously consider suspending or expelling him from the university."

While Druskinis has been booted from the team, he may not face further charges. The Jewish Resource Center's director Rabbi Fully Eisenberger declined to press charges. Ann Arbor Police now consider the case closed.

Druskinis appeared in just 8 games for the Wolverines last season. The team made it to the Frozen Four last season but was eliminated in the semifinals by Quinnipiac.

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