Oct. 29, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - University of Missouri Men's Basketball Coach Mike Anderson announced that senior forward Darryl Butterfield will be allowed to return to practice, but remains suspended from competition.

On Monday, Butterfield pled guilty to misdemeanor peace disturbance charges surrounding an Oct. 17 incident and will undergo counseling as part of his suspension.

Butterfield issued a public apology on Monday and Mizzou Head Coach Mike Anderson issued a statement surrounding the events.

Darryl Butterfield Public Apology:
"I can't express enough the remorse I feel for my actions. I let everyone down. From the person involved, to my family, my coaches, my teammates, my classmates and everyone associated with our university, I let you down and I want to apologize to you. I understand what a privilege it is to be here at Mizzou and vow to everyone that I will grow from this and become a better member of our campus community."

Head Coach Mike Anderson Statement:
"This is just a first step, but we have a long way to go. I say we because as a coaching staff, you stand beside your players and help them through difficult situations. When we recruit someone into our program, we tell their family that we will send them back a man. Part of that process is owning up to mistakes and taking the necessary steps to correct them. Not all mistakes are correctable overnight and this is not one of them, however with counseling and the proper guidance, we will do our best to help everyone through this regrettable incident."

## MIZZOU ##