Gophers head coach Tubby Smith said Thursday at Big Ten media day in Chicago that he expects his son, Saul Smith, to coach this season.
Saul Smith, an assistant coach, is on unpaid leave after a DUI arrest in the Twin Cities last weekend.
"You drink and drive, you have a problem: a decision-making problem," Tubby Smith said Thursday of Saul's arrest.
Tubby Smith said he allowed AD Norwood Teague to lead the charge on the punishment because the head coach was too close to the situation.
"We just can't have behavior like that," Teague said Monday of the DUI arrest, which according to police came after Smith was pulled over on I-394 early Saturday morning. "It's just not good for anyone, it's embarrassing and I won't tolerate it.
Teague said at the time he was not sure whether Smith will remain suspended until his Dec. 3 court date, though he reiterated the suspension is "indefinite." He said the university is still evaluating the situation.
"As far as just cause to fire [Saul Smith], we're evaluating everything that's going on now," Teague said. "Being on administrative leave and being unpaid is a pretty good penalty."
Smith also talked about Gophers forward Trevor Mbakwe on Thursday. Mbakwe is attempting to come back from both a torn ACL and a DUI arrest of his own in July which triggered a probation violation hearing last Friday and added more probation to an existing offense.
