Michigan DE Frank Clark jailed on suspicion of domestic violence

The Michigan football program is facing another problem.

Star senior defensive end Frank Clark was jailed Sunday in Erie County (Ohio), on an allegation of domestic violence, according to jail records. The arrest was made Saturday by the Perkins Township police department and falls under the jurisdiction of the Sandusky (Ohio) Municipal Court.

An officer at the jail said Clark will remain there without bond until it is set at his Monday 9 a.m. court appearance.

Clark's photo and a birthdate that matches his are listed, as well as an Ypsilanti home address.

Erie County is located between Clark's hometown of Cleveland and Michigan. Ohio law indicates that a conviction could carry a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Based on the code for the listed charge, it is either a fourth-degree felony or a first-degree misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances.

Clark is a senior on the Wolverines who has been touted as a leader and role model this year. He even appeared on the Michigan football radio show last week.

Michigan did not play a game this week, and many players returned to their hometowns.

A university official responded Sunday morning: "We are aware of the report and are gathering more information."

This is not Clark's first run-in with the law. He pleaded guilty to a felony second-degree home-invasion charge in September 2012, after stealing a laptop from another student's dorm room that June. He was suspended for Michigan's season opener that season. Because he was under 21, he was sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Training Act, and the conviction was to be expunged from his record if he fulfilled a year of probation and paid more than $1,700 in fines and costs.

Clark is having his best season at Michigan, with 42 tackles, 13.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks. He is coming off of his best game of the season at Northwestern.

Clark, a senior who attended Cleveland Glenville for high school, is considered an NFL Draft prospect, ranked the No. 17 defensive end by NFLDraftscout.com, and projected in the fourth to fifth round range. His measurables at 6-foot-2 and 277 pounds, with what was reported as a 4.5 40-yard dash would make him a desirable draft prospect.

In July, Clark shared his story of a rough environment growing up in California and then being sent by his mother to Cleveland for a better life.

"We always believed that Frank is going to get it," U-M coach Brady Hoke said at the time, adding sometimes it's 'kicking him in the ass.' "You go back to (Glenville coach) Ted Ginn and how he's handled everything. And (U-M defensive coordinator) Greg Mattison, the relationship he and Frank have had since day one. And the relationship Frank and I have had since day one. One that's always been very honest and sometimes not fun for Frank. Or not fun for a coach either."

Hoke said in July that challenging Clark helped him.

"You want to see how much they really want it," he said. "When you go through consequences and things that happen from bad decisions, you want to set that bar high and see how much they really want to be here and they know the expectations."

This is the latest in a string of off-field problems for the Michigan football team in the past year.

Former offensive tackle Taylor Lewan was charged with multiple counts of assault for an incident on Dec. 1, 2013 where he allegedly punched two men. He pled guilty to a pair of lesser misdemeanor charges, neither assault, on Oct. 30 of this year. He did not face public team discipline and played in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl last year after the charge was announced but before a court appearance.

Current offensive lineman Graham Glasgow was arrested on a drunk-driving charge in March 2014, a police report that cited many egregious violations, including individuals hanging out of the car, and pled guilty to operating a vehicle while visibly impaired in July. He was suspended for portions of spring practice and the season opener and has started every game since.

In April, tight end Jake Butt was cited for disorderly conduct and urinating in public. The urination charge was dismissed but he admitted responsibility for the disorderly conduct charge and paid a $150 fine.

Former wide receiver C'sonte York punched a man outside an Ann Arbor bar in July, knocking him unconscious. His suspension from the team was announced two weeks later and he was dismissed a month after the incident following the police release of a video showing the punch.

York pled guilty to a pair misdemeanor assault convictions in late October.

Those incidents drew off-field attention and U-M's on-field performance has done nothing to shift the attention.

The Wolverines are 5-5 with two games remaining, sitting on the cusp of bowl eligibility but also near the worst records for the program in the past 40 years.

Hoke is under fire for the consistently declining in his four seasons and his job status is a constant speculation. U-M interim athletic director Jim Hackett, who replaced Dave Brandon on Oct. 31, told a Grand Rapids television station last week that he will evaluate Hoke after the season.

If Michigan loses both of its final two games, the season will end after the Nov. 29 Ohio State game. Winning one of the next two will likely give Michigan a late December bowl game opportunity.

Mark Snyder covers the Michigan Wolverines for the Detroit Free Press.