Michigan Football: Brendan Gibbons Reportedly 'Permanently Separated' from U-M

Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons' eligibility with the Wolverines football team ended with the 2013 season, and now his time as a UM student is reportedly finished as well.

According to documents reviewed by Matt Slovin and Adam Rubenfire of The Michigan Daily, Gibbons has been "permanently separated" from the University due to sexual misconduct:

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“You will be permanently separated from the University of Michigan effective December 20, 2013,” reads a Dec. 19, 2013 letter addressed to Gibbons at his Florida residence from the University’s Office of Student Conflict Resolution, which facilitates disciplinary proceedings against students. 

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The University of Michigan's Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities defines expulsion as "permanent separation from the University." 

UPDATE: Tue, Feb. 25, 11:17 a.m. EST

The saga at Michigan has taken another significant turn.

Kim Kozlowski of The Detroit News reported Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights is investigating the University of Michigan's response to the sexual misconduct case involving former kicker Brandon Gibbons.

According to Kozlowski, the investigation was prompted by a pair of complaints, including one by former UM pathologist Doug Smith. Additionally, a demonstration on campus is set to take place 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Rackham Auditorium, led by students who are displeased with the institution's handling of the case.

Smith's complaint was made on grounds that Michigan's handling of the case wasn't in compliance with Title IX, a federal law that prohibits gender discrimination.

The U.S. Department of Education sent a letter to Smith, indicating that they decided to investigate the situation:

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(The Office for Civil Rights) has determined it is appropriate to proceed to investigation on the following issue: that the University failed to promptly and equitably respond to complaints, reports and/or incidents of sexual violence of which it had notice, and, as a result, students were subjected to a sexually hostile environment.

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It is apparent that the situation in Ann Arbor is far from finished. Stay tuned for updates as they are available.

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UPDATE: Mon, Feb. 3, 1:26 p.m. EST

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke released an official statement on the situation surrounding his former kicker, MLive.com's Nick Baumgardner reports.

In addition to his statement, which can be seen in whole by following the link above, Hoke also took the time to expand on the integrity of his program:

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Track record, I've dealt with everything that's happened on this team, from character issues to the integrity (the players) have. Those are two of the most important things that I have. My character and my integrity. And I got into coaching to help kids and understand that.

That's a huge part of what this job is and why I got into it. For people to attack the character and integrity that we have as a program and as Michigan and me, personally, is something that's not true. We've dealt with (disciplinary issues), and you can go back and look at all the different disciplinary cases we've had. We haven't had many, but there have been consequences and discipline and all of those things.

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--End of Update--

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Slovin and Rubenfire's report states that the expulsion is the result of an incident that occurred on Nov. 22, 2009. 

WashtenawWatchdogs.com, an investigative reporting website based in Michigan's Washtenaw County, chronicled the incident in August in great detail. To view the full police report, follow this link.

According to The Michigan Daily, all of Gibbons' student privileges would be revoked and he would not be permitted to take any more classes at the institution. Another document cited by The Michigan Daily detailed Michigan's findings:

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An additional OSCR document signed by (associate director Stacy) Vander Velde and dated Nov. 20, 2013, stated that it was determined by the University that a preponderance of evidence supports “a finding that the Respondent engaged in unwanted or unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, committed without valid consent, and that conduct was so severe as to create a hostile, offensive, or abusive environment.” 

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The Daily was unable to reach Gibbons for comment, and university and athletic department officials were not able to make a comment on the situation.

Michigan's 2013 football season ended on Dec. 28 with a 31-14 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl defeat to Kansas State, though Gibbons did not make the trip with the rest of his team. He also missed the regular season finale against Ohio State with a muscle pull, and it was reported that his status was in question for the bowl game for the same reason.

However, head coach Brady Hoke later cited a "family matter" as the reason for Gibbons' bowl absence.

Gibbons finished his career fourth in program history in field goals made. He also set Wolverines records for the most consecutive field goals and extra points made. In 44 games, he connected on 45-of-60 field goal attempts.