Byrdsong Will Resume His Duties as Northwestern’s Coach Monday

EVANSTON, Ill. —  Northwestern Coach Ricky Byrdsong, who has been on a leave of absence since displaying odd behavior during a game, will return to his duties Monday and will be on the bench for Thursday night’s game against No. 16 Indiana.

Rich Taylor, athletic director, released a statement Saturday that said Byrdsong, 37, “has been evaluated and we are satisfied that he can return to coaching and be successful.”

Byrdsong has been on a leave of absence since a Big Ten game at Minnesota on Feb. 7. During that game, he turned over the coaching duties to assistant Paul Swanson, got a technical foul for walking onto the court to argue a call and walked through the crowd, shaking hands and giving high-fives.

On Thursday, he met with the media and explained that his behavior at Minnesota was a motivational ploy, not a nervous breakdown.