“As for the video appearing on social media this week, it is concerning, but we believe it is from a long time ago,” Odom said. “However, Maty’s failure to live up to expectations in recent weeks was the reason for this decision.

“We believe it is in his best interest to focus on his personal life and his academic career at this time. We remain committed to helping him work through the challenges and earn his degree. Our hope is that he will grow from this and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”

In his statement Odom didn’t disclose which team rules Mauk broke in recent weeks. Multiple sources confirmed that Mauk’s initial suspension in September was related to a failed drug test. The team suspected he’d been using drugs and administered the test, leading to his suspension announced Sept. 29. The suspension was lifted four weeks later, but Pinkel then suspended Mauk for the rest of the season on Nov. 1 after he was spotted having a dispute outside a downtown Columbia bar. Mauk’s teammate told the Post-Dispatch earlier this week that Mauk has “been really turning things around” since the end of the season and “has been clean for a while.”

On Thursday afternoon, Mauk posted a handwritten letter on his Twitter account (@M_MAUK_7) that read: