Mazi Smith On The Last Month, Unwavering Support From Jim Harbaugh

Mazi Smith addressed the media for the first time since his legal issues became public.

It has been an up and down month-plus for Mazi Smith as news became public that he was pulled over with a gun and large amounts of ammunition back in October. At the time of the traffic stop, Smith did not have the correct paperwork to have the gun in his possession and he was ultimately arrested and charged with a felony. Since then, Smith has taken a plea bargain, pleading guilty to a misdemeanor firearm possession charge in Washtenaw County. 

Through it all, Smith was open, honest and transparent as the legal system ran its course. And right there by his side, was Jim Harbaugh. Smith spoke a lot about Harbaugh on Wednesday afternoon in Arizona, and you could tell that this unfortunate incident has brought the two much closer.

"He's a guy that's got your back," Smith said of Harbaugh. "He's a guy that will love you to death — love you like his own kid. He'll do anything for us and he'll let you know that."

Those are pretty strong words from a young man who needed exactly that over the last month or so. Rival fanbases and media members wanted Smith to be locked up immediately, but that's not how these things work. Smith knew that from the beginning and so did Harbaugh. Smith admitted to the wrongdoing and told Harbaugh all about it from day one. He will have to face the consequences but the plea deal drastically reduced the charges and penalties.

The punishment will not exceed more than one year in prison or a $1,000 fine, said Washtenaw County Judge Cedric Simpson during the Dec. 8 probable cause conference. Smith will be sentenced on Jan. 12, just days after the National Championship Game, which Michigan is expected to be in.

Optically, the entire situation doesn't look great, but if you talk to Smith for one minute, you realize that he knows he screwed up, is taking full responsibility for his actions and is forever grateful to his head coach.