Tom Izzo is doing his best to withhold judgment until more facts come out regarding former Michigan State player Keith Appling, who was recently arrested and charged with murder. The longtime Spartans head coach admits it’s really difficult, though.

Appling is being charged with the murder of a 66-year-old family member, Clyde Edmonds, his mother’s cousin. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Speaking with the Detroit Free Press, Izzo referred to the charges and arrest as “sad.”

“I’m trying to reserve, trying not to do what the world does and make him guilty until he’s proven it,” Izzo said Wednesday. “And yet, everything I hear, it’s not great.

Per the report, Appling and Edmonds got into a verbal argument over a handgun before things turned violent in the Detroit-area home. Appling fired multiple shots and the victim was pronounced at a nearby hospital after suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Natalie Brooks Bannister, Appling’s girlfriend, is also charged with accessory to murder. She reportedly lied to police about the incident and also drove the vehicle after Appling fired the shots.

“I hope and pray to God that it’s not true. But I have no knowledge of anything, except that I was trying to help him get back on track, as were more than a few other people.”

Appling was a former star on Michigan State’s basketball team from 2010-14. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game.