"MICHIGAN MAN" QUOTE OF THE DAY
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"I did not," he replied. "I didn't see it. I can only answer for me." |
- U of M head football coach Brady Hoke when asked if he saw his sophomore quarterback looking "wobbly" after the hit. On Monday, Hoke said that Morris had not suffered a concussion.
On Tuesday, fellow "Michigan Man" and Wolverine AD David Brandon issued a press release AT 12:50 AM saying that Morris had indeed suffered a "PROBABLE MILD CONCUSSION."
Bo would be proud.
Communication issues appear to be running wild at Michigan, notably between athletic director Dave Brandon and football coach Brady Hoke. (Carlos Osorio)
Column: Brady Hoke appears unsupported by Michigan AD Dave Brandon in wake of Shane Morris situation
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on September 30, 2014 at 5:01 AM, updated September 30, 2014 at 10:20 AM
shane-morris-injury
ANN ARBOR -- Brady Hoke and his entire sideline screwed this up. There's no question about it.
Hoke and his entire sideline are in no way innocent with the way they handled quarterback Shane Morris' head injury Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium. Let's make that clear.
But after reading through Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon's statement on the topic -- released just before 1 a.m. Tuesday -- we have to now make one more thing clear:
On Monday afternoon, Brandon allowed his head football coach to step to a press conference podium in an absolute no-win situation. Hoke was unprepared, unsupported and left there to face live bullets.
Alone.
On Monday afternoon, Brandon threw Hoke -- a man he hired in 2011 -- under the bus, and hung him out to dry.
Speaking with reporters inside the Crisler Center on Monday, Hoke said he could not make any comments about what type of medical attention Morris received on the sideline Saturday, instead deferring to a statement he believed Michigan's medical staffers would be sending out at some point later in the day.
He also said, to his knowledge, Morris was not diagnosed with a concussion. Beyond that, Hoke said he had no conversations with Brandon about the entire situation prior to walking on that stage.
From there, Brandon and Michigan's athletic department went silent for an entire day. That statement from medical personnel Hoke believed was coming? Never released.
Instead, in the middle of the night, Brandon -- who is also not a doctor -- released his response to the situation, contradicting plenty of what Hoke had told reporters more than 12 hours earlier.
Brandon said he had been involved in "numerous" meetings about the entire situation since Sunday morning. Apparently none of those included Hoke.
Brandon also goes on to say that Morris was diagnosed with a "probable, mild concussion" on Sunday. Apparently no one told Hoke, who even stated that he had seen and spoken with Morris at the team's facility Sunday.
Brandon also explains that, in his "judgement," there was a "serious lack of communication" on the field between Hoke, team physicians and the entire medical staff.
Oh the irony there.
There appear to be too many cooks in Michigan's football kitchen at this point, and none of them seem interested in letting Hoke know what's on the menu.
At this point, if you want to fire Hoke, do it for his team's performance on the field. There seems to be plenty of cause.
Michigan appears unorganized with its game plans. Its player development looks broken. Hoke's ability to manage a game on the fly isn't sound. The team isn't winning, and hasn't looked competitive against any real opponent this season.
Hoke hasn't shown an ability to win games on the road, his overall record has gotten worse each season and he's 0-5 away from home against the program's chief rivals.
We know this.
But, at this point, we know something else, too.
Brandon left his coach dangling in the breeze for two days. He allowed people to question Hoke's personal character and his regard for player safety with zero support.
If Michigan removes Hoke and allows Brandon to search for his replacement, best of luck finding anything close to an accomplished coach to come and work in this current environment.
Does Michigan, Hoke included, have to be better with how it handles injuries -- notably head traumas -- during a football game? Yes.
Does Hoke have to be better with the way he coaches his football team? Yes.
But at the end of the day, Brandon -- a man lauded for his public relations savvy in a former life -- let his coach take every ounce of heat with zero support.
He, too, has to be better.
Because, right now, this is Brandon's Michigan:
A three-ring circus.
Hoke and his entire sideline are in no way innocent with the way they handled quarterback Shane Morris' head injury Saturday afternoon at Michigan Stadium. Let's make that clear.
But after reading through Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon's statement on the topic -- released just before 1 a.m. Tuesday -- we have to now make one more thing clear:
On Monday afternoon, Brandon allowed his head football coach to step to a press conference podium in an absolute no-win situation. Hoke was unprepared, unsupported and left there to face live bullets.
Alone.
On Monday afternoon, Brandon threw Hoke -- a man he hired in 2011 -- under the bus, and hung him out to dry.
Speaking with reporters inside the Crisler Center on Monday, Hoke said he could not make any comments about what type of medical attention Morris received on the sideline Saturday, instead deferring to a statement he believed Michigan's medical staffers would be sending out at some point later in the day.
He also said, to his knowledge, Morris was not diagnosed with a concussion. Beyond that, Hoke said he had no conversations with Brandon about the entire situation prior to walking on that stage.
From there, Brandon and Michigan's athletic department went silent for an entire day. That statement from medical personnel Hoke believed was coming? Never released.
Instead, in the middle of the night, Brandon -- who is also not a doctor -- released his response to the situation, contradicting plenty of what Hoke had told reporters more than 12 hours earlier.
Brandon said he had been involved in "numerous" meetings about the entire situation since Sunday morning. Apparently none of those included Hoke.
Brandon also goes on to say that Morris was diagnosed with a "probable, mild concussion" on Sunday. Apparently no one told Hoke, who even stated that he had seen and spoken with Morris at the team's facility Sunday.
Brandon also explains that, in his "judgement," there was a "serious lack of communication" on the field between Hoke, team physicians and the entire medical staff.
Oh the irony there.
There appear to be too many cooks in Michigan's football kitchen at this point, and none of them seem interested in letting Hoke know what's on the menu.
At this point, if you want to fire Hoke, do it for his team's performance on the field. There seems to be plenty of cause.
Michigan appears unorganized with its game plans. Its player development looks broken. Hoke's ability to manage a game on the fly isn't sound. The team isn't winning, and hasn't looked competitive against any real opponent this season.
Hoke hasn't shown an ability to win games on the road, his overall record has gotten worse each season and he's 0-5 away from home against the program's chief rivals.
We know this.
But, at this point, we know something else, too.
Brandon left his coach dangling in the breeze for two days. He allowed people to question Hoke's personal character and his regard for player safety with zero support.
If Michigan removes Hoke and allows Brandon to search for his replacement, best of luck finding anything close to an accomplished coach to come and work in this current environment.
Does Michigan, Hoke included, have to be better with how it handles injuries -- notably head traumas -- during a football game? Yes.
Does Hoke have to be better with the way he coaches his football team? Yes.
But at the end of the day, Brandon -- a man lauded for his public relations savvy in a former life -- let his coach take every ounce of heat with zero support.
He, too, has to be better.
Because, right now, this is Brandon's Michigan:
A three-ring circus.
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