Six members of the men’s basketball team were ticketed for being underage in a Milwaukee nightclub in late January, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday.
Freshman Todd Mayo, sophomore Vander Blue, sophomore Jamail Jones, freshman Juan Anderson, freshman Derrick Wilson and junior Jake Thomas were the six players ticketed. All six are under the legal drinking age in Wisconsin of 21.
According to the Milwaukee Police Department report, the players said it was easy to enter the club — Wilson, Jones and Anderson said they just walked in. The report did not say whether the athletes were drinking.
It was also disclosed that senior Darius Johnson-Odom, who is of legal drinking age, was at the club with his teammates.
Marquette Athletic Director Larry Williams said the ticketed players will still play in tonight’s NCAA Tournament game against Florida.
In a statement released by the university Tuesday, Williams said the six players have been disciplined “through the team, the athletic department and the university.”
“Since we have dealt with this issue, none of this prevents any of our players from participating in the NCAA Tournament,” Williams said. “We are looking forward to Thursday’s game.”
Williams did not say what discipline the athletes faced.
Senior Director of University Communication Brian Dorrington told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Johnson-Odom was also disciplined for a violation of team rules.
Coach Buzz Williams told reporters Tuesday that the matter was handled by the team on Jan. 29 and handled by the school’s administration on Jan. 30.
The police report included information on the situation that was released to the Journal Sentinel Tuesday after the organization made an open records request on Feb. 29.
The players were in the Apt. 720 Club in downtown Milwaukee on Jan. 29 and the tickets were served on March 12. The underage players each face a fine of $374 for the official violation of “Presence of Minor at Licensed Premises.”
MPD Public Relations Manager Anne E. Schwartz told the Journal Sentinel that MPD took over a month to issue the citation and release information on the case because it was conducting its own investigation.
Police are still investigating whether the club owners will be ticketed.