Pitt HC Jeff Capel Addresses Dior Johnson Departure
PITTSBURGH -- Jeff Capel's never had a quiet offseason as head coach of the Pitt Panthers and that held true during the summer of 2023. There were some injuries, additions and subtractions but the biggest news had nothing to do with basketball.
In late August, Pitt announced that Johnson was no longer a member of the men's basketball program or a student at the university. Head coach Jeff Capel publicly addressed his departure for the first time this week.
“We just wish him well. Just wish him well," Capel said. "He’s been through a lot, he’s made some mistakes. I love the kid. I hope some positive things happen for him.”
After leaving Pitt prior to the start of the fall semester, Johnson has found his next school at Clarendon College, a junior college in Texas, according to JuCoRecruiting.com.
Johnson never appeared in a game after joining the Panthers in the summer of 2022. He was a late addition to the recruiting class, choosing Pitt after de-committing from Oregon and then Syracuse.
He was arrested for his involvement in a domestic violence case that took place in Oakland last September. He was accused of holding a woman against her will at an apartment, slapping and punching her and pushing her face into a bed, making it difficult for her to breathe.
After a nearly month-long investigation, Johnson was charged with aggravated assault, strangulation, unlawful restraint, simple assault and false imprisonment and suspended indefinitely. In December, Johnson pled guilty to two misdemeanor counts of simple assault and strangulation and was sentenced to one year of probation.
Johnson was reinstated following his sentencing and returned to practice, but did not play for the remainder of the season. The program called it a redshirt year. He traveled with the team on their foreign tour to Spain this summer and played in two international contests.
When asked if he was surprised at how the process of Johnson's departure unfolded, Capel gave a very simple response.
“Nothing surprises me anymore,” he said.
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