In a real-life scenario reminiscent of the television series "Breaking Bad," a professor from Michigan State University (MSU) has been suspended following revelations of his criminal past and erratic behavior.
Brendan Doyle, who was hired by MSU this fall, had previously served jail time for operating a methamphetamine lab.
Doyle was arrested in March 2020 while serving as a professor at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Lafourche Parish Sheriffs Office confirmed his arrest at the time. Doyle pleaded guilty to operating the lab for the illegal production of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 180 days in prison but served only half of that term, as reported by FOX 17.
Despite his criminal past, Doyle's history slipped through the cracks during MSU's background checks. He was hired to teach an anatomy and physiology course in the Kinesiology department, according to MSU representative Dan Olson, as reported by The State News, a student-run newspaper.
Doyle's past only came to light when students, alarmed by his behavior, began researching him online. They discovered his mugshot and articles about his arrest. "He was just erratic and he just seemed, like, impatient," sophomore Mackenzie Albee told Fox 17.
Albee recounted that Doyle had a "yelling outburst" on the first day of class, telling students to "shut up." He had another outburst on the second day. After that, Albee never saw Doyle again. He canceled the next three classes at the last minute, citing a "stomach flu," according to emails obtained by The State News.
The students faced difficulty in finding information about Doyle as he was listed at MSU under "B. Michael Doyle," a different name from "Brendan Doyle," which was used at the time of his arrest. "Everyone was really shocked, but everyone also already knew he was a little crazy from the first two classes he had those angry outbursts," Albee told Fox 17.
After the students raised their concerns with the department heads, they were informed via email that their class would be temporarily canceled due to a "health-related issue of the instructor," as reported by The News.
Panteleimon Ekkakakis, Chair of the Kinesiology department, later emailed students to inform them that the department had become aware of Doyle's arrest on August 15, before the start of the school year. However, Ekkakakis later clarified that this was a typo and the correct date was September 15.
Ekkakakis also informed students that classes would resume with a new professor, apologizing for the disruption and the unusual start to their fall semester. It remains unclear how much Doyle was earning as a professor at MSU and whether he is still receiving payment during his suspension.
The incident has drawn comparisons to "Breaking Bad," a television series in which a high school chemistry teacher turns to methamphetamine production.
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