The three month saga of Alex Abreu's drug trafficking charges came to an end in the courtroom, although his future at the University of Akron remains unclear. The Akron guard pleaded guilty to a felony charge of drug trafficking and faces a two year suspended sentence and 18 months of probation. Abreu was first arrested on the heels of the MAC tournament sending shock waves through the Zips fan base. The Zips would still go on to win the MAC tournament before getting blown out in the NCAA tournament.
The University of Akron released a statement on the situation:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>In a statement, the University of Akron said Abreu remains indefinitely suspended following today's verdict.</p>— Mike Popovich (@mpopovichREP) <a href="https://twitter.com/mpopovichREP/status/344236506896031744">June 10, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>The statement also says the university and athletic department will review Abreu's case and determine his status at a later date.</p>— Mike Popovich (@mpopovichREP) <a href="https://twitter.com/mpopovichREP/status/344236789088808960">June 10, 2013</a></blockquote>
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There are two sides to the argument of whether Abreu should play this season for the Zips. One is that he went through the judicial process and should be free to move on with his life and basketball career. The other is that, well, he pleaded guilty to a felony. Everyone from the university to the athletic department to Keith Dambrot to the players will have a say in whether Abreu returns which means a lot of things will have to go right for Abreu.
There will be a rush to compare this situation to Quincy Diggs, who missed last season due to a suspension, but is expected to return this upcoming season. However, the comparison is inept as Quincy Diggs never faced any criminal charges and the suspension was for a violation of university rules.
For Akron fans, they will have to continue to take a wait and see approach before the university and the athletic department make a final decision on the status of Alex Abreu.