DeKALB – Northern Illinois men’s basketball guard Eugene German has been suspended for the second time this season.
German’s suspension was announced in an email sent by the school less than an hour before the tipoff of Saturday’s game at Eastern Michigan.
“Northern Illinois University junior guard Eugene German will not play Saturday at Eastern Michigan. German has been suspended indefinitely due to a violation of team rules.”
When asked for further information about the suspension, a spokesperson for the school said there would be no additional information provided.
The Huskies (12-12 overall, 5-6 Mid-American Conference) lost, 57-49, to the Eagles (10-13, 4-6) – their lowest offensive output of the season. They entered Saturday averaging 75.8 points a game. Dante Thorpe led the Huskies with 13.
German, the team’s leading scorer at 20.0 points a game, was suspended to start the season after an Oct. 24 arrest and missed the team’s first two games.
According to online DeKalb County court records, German has been cited for traffic violations twice this year. On Jan. 17, he was cited by NIU police for driving without insurance, and Feb. 4 he was cited by DeKalb police for driving on a suspended license and while uninsured.
He’s due in court at 9 a.m. Feb. 22 on the first charge, and at 9 a.m. March 4 for the second, for which he posted $150 bail to be released, according to the records.
German was suspended for two games in November. He entered a plea agreement on a charge of battery stemming from an egg-throwing incident, for which he received a year of court supervision and 30 hours of community service.
He also was arrested with teammates Zaire Mateen and Thorpe and charged with retail theft in November. Police said the three were shopping at Walmart, 2300 Sycamore Road, when they left several items in their cart while checking out and did not pay for them. The items had a value of less than $50, DeKalb police Cmdr. Steve Lekkas said at the time.
Thorpe has an upcoming court date listed for driving 21 to 25 mph more than the speed limit, issued Jan. 24 by Illinois State Police. His court date is Feb. 19.