...I'm okay with this response though. As someone who'd be on the "other side" of this shitstorm, I'm glad Brandon accepted responsibility and put procedures in place to see that it never happens again.

That said, he should still be fired.

He should've also suspended Hoke immediately after the game until he was able to reach these findings. I understand that they take time. Hell, I know Darryl Conway personally - he got me tickets to the Michigan/OSU game last year.

So you certainly want to figure out WTF happened, then also get everyone who matters in the room and figure out how to make sure it never, EVER, happens again.

One thing that this doesn't cover is WHY WAS MORRIS IN THE GAME IN THE FIRST PLACE?!! I counted 3 whole series he played after he was noticeably injured. Why would you keep a player in the game who can't run and protect himself? That to me is a question that I know will never get answered, but to me, it was just as bad as putting him back into the game when he was knocked out.

Anyway, if you're a good AD, you don't let Hoke speak about this Sunday or Monday. You immediately suspend him pending the outcome of this investigation. 

Let's say I'm the AD, I'm suspending Hoke to cover my OWN ass. What happens if in your investigation you find out Hoke knew about the concussion and put Morris back in? All the while you've let him continue as your head football coach while you look into the situation? Now you, the AD, look even worse because you didn't act quickly enough.

Personally, I would've suspended Hoke immediately. Fired Hoke this morning and released this statement tonight. In my press conference tomorrow that I would explain that Hoke's lack of awareness for the health of our student-athletes is a detriment to the program.

I would elaborate that it is my opinion that it would hinder his ability to fulfill his job responsibilites in recruiting and in this instance, a warning or awareness program would not be appropriate. Student-Athlete welfare is what is most important to us here at Michigan and it always will be, we take it seriously and in this instance Coach Hoke failed to act responsibility in the care of one of his athletes. This decision is not based on the outcome of the game as we would have evaluated Coach Hoke at the end of the season as we do all of our coaches - obviously this year has been disappointing for us all and a national search will begin immediately to find someone to lead this program back to where it belongs - at the top. 

I wouldn't take questions, but down there road if asked, it's certainly okay to be honest and say "No he was not fired due to the team's record. The decision to teriminate the contract of Coach Hoke was based on the incident dealing with the care of one of our student-athletes. That said, he was under evaluation as all of our coaches are. I can say that no, expectations were not being met competitively, but we do not make our final evaluation until the entire season has concluded. We look forward to finding a coach who will bring us back to elite status on the field while upholding the values we have regarding student-athlete safety." In short, his ass was done...at the end of the year. His fuck up with Morris got him fired now.

Maybe if you're a good AD in Brandon's position, that saves you. But he was doomed before the season, before the incident and defintiely now. Despite a well-written statement, it's too little, too late. Goodnight, not so sweet prince.

Why would our medical staff ever clear a player for just one more play?

That cannot possibly be a thing that happens. "Well, you took a wicked shot there, but I bet you won't get hammered hard enough on the next play for it to matter, so you can have one more."

I get sick just like I was on Saturday. It's just so f-ing sad and heartbreaking. You don't even want to move.

This is NOTHING like PSU, but I can't imagine how the true/good/real PSU fans felt watching everything they had fall apart. The embarrassment and shame.

I just feel so bad for Shane. Every second I wish these idiots would just resign so we can find new coaches and admin and start the healing process. 

The losses were AWFUL, but this is such a kick in the stomach. It is because it goes against everything most Michigan fans believed in about Michigan. Win or lose, at least we're smart, honest, we do things the RIGHT way...at least we have a coach who is passionate about Michigan to a fault. He may suck, but we believe in him as a person.

Then poof. He's just an idiot with a job he shouldn't have.

Statement from U-M Athletic Director Dave Brandon Regarding Student-Athlete Health and Welfare

"Ultimate responsibility for the health and safety of our student-athletes resides with each team’s coach and with me, as the Director of Athletics. We are committed to continuously improving our procedures to better protect the health and welfare of our student-athletes."

QUESTION: If it resides with you and the coach, 1) Why are you blaming medical staff, and 2) Why is Hoke saying in his press conference he hadn’t talked to you.
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"I have had numerous meetings since Sunday morning to thoroughly review the situation that occurred at Saturday’s football game regarding student-athlete Shane Morris. I have met with those who were directly involved and who were responsible for managing Shane’s care and determining his medical fitness for participation."


QUESTION: In these numerous meetings why was Hoke not involved since he said at his Monday press conference and he had not talked to you? Is Hoke not involved? I thought you said he was involved, and in fact, responsible? How is that on Monday Coach Hoke said he didn’t believe he had a concussion and would have practiced if not for a high ankle sprain—and yet you say it was determined that Morris had a concussion right AFTER the game and further confirmed on Sunday?  So how does Hoke not know that on MONDAY?
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"In my judgment, there was a serious lack of communication that led to confusion on the sideline. Unfortunately, this confusion created a circumstance that was not in the best interest of one of our student-athletes. I sincerely apologize for the mistakes that were made. We have to learn from this situation, and moving forward, we will make important changes so we can fully live up to our shared goal of putting student-athlete safety first."


QUESTION: Why does a school with the reputed medical staff like Michigan have to make changes? Do you realize this damages the schools medical reputation when the entire coaching staff and medical staff made so many egregious errors? Why was their so much confusion and lack of communication? Mattison and Hoke supposedly play euchre and wrestle together; shouldn’t communication be good, in fact superior?

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"I have worked with Darryl Conway, my Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Health and Welfare, to develop a detailed accounting of the events that occurred. Darryl is the person who oversees all athletic training personnel and serves as the liaison to the physicians we work with through the University of Michigan Health System and University Health Services. It is important to note that our athletic trainers and physicians working with Michigan Athletics have the unchallengeable authority to remove student-athletes from the field of play. Michigan Athletics has numerous medical professionals at every football competition including certified athletic trainers and several physicians from various relevant specialties."


QUESTION: Sure the medical trainers have the unchallengeable authority to take a kid off the field; however the BTN’s Glen Mason said many times he refused to let a cleared player go back on the field, why did Hoke allow that? Also if Morris was cleared, why did Bellomy grab a helmet? Isn’t it true, in the lieu of the ‘confusion’, the head coaches responsibility to call a timeout to protect his players instead of trying to save it for a comeback that likely wasn’t coming?

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"I, along with Darryl and our administrative and medical teams, have spent much of the last two days carefully reviewing the situation regarding Shane Morris. We now understand that, despite having the right people on the sidelines assessing our student-athletes’ well being, the systems we had in place were inadequate to handle this unique and complex situation properly."


QUESTION: The right people? How does all the right people, both coaches and medical staff happen to miss that Morris was ‘out on his feet’, when #71 was holding him up when he was collapsing, and #5 was desperately waving for help for the QB and received none. Do you not believe your players when they are hurt, or believe the players standing right next to a player that is hurt and asking for help? Also didn’t Funchess in both the Notre Dame game and the Minnesota game wave his arms for help and receive no care or attention? Also, didn’t Hoke get reprimanded once for allowing a player to get frostbite at Ball State? Also, how does Brady Hoke effectively communicate with ALL coaches and not just the ones standing next to him without a headset—even the girl that took my order at McD’s has a headset. One more thing, how is this ‘unique and complex’? Is this not an ankle injury and a concussion? Do football players not get those injuries? Isn’t this situation handled differently by everyone else so it is not unique and complex? Would have calling a timeout not created this situation?

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"With his permission, I can share that Shane Morris suffered an ankle injury during the third quarter of Saturday’s game. He was evaluated for that injury by an orthopedic surgeon and an athletic trainer several times during the game. With each of these evaluations it was determined that his ankle injury did not prevent him from playing."


QUESTION: Why are you sharing this early in your statement that Morris had an ankle injury and waiting to mention the concussion until later in the statement? Is the ankle injury more pressing in a press release than the head to head hit everyone but the ‘right people’ saw? Speaking of which, why did you wait until almost 1am to release this statement? Was this a PR move? Also when Morris was hurt, the TV announcers said that no trainers came to look at him, but instead Morris sat next to OC Nussmeier to look at plays for upcoming series. Do you not look at ankles and deem them something the trainers should check out?

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"In the fourth quarter, Shane took a significant hit and stumbled after getting up. From the field level and without the benefit of replays, medical and coaching staffs did not see the hit. Because they did not see the hit, the athletic training staff believed Shane stumbled because of his ankle injury. The team neurologist, watching from further down the field, also did not see the hit. However, the neurologist, with expertise in detecting signs of concussion, saw Shane stumble and determined he needed to head down the sideline to evaluate Shane."


QUESTION: After the hit and the pass result was over---all 100,000 eyes were on Morris and gasped when he collapsed, and then in the next several seconds after the hit he was walking to his right and collapsing. No.71 was holding him up, No.5 desperately waving for help? So short of asking you about who ordered the Code Red---WHY DID NONE OF THE ‘RIGHT PEOPLE’ RESPOND TO No.5 WHO WAS DESPERATELY TRYING TO HELP HIS QB BY ASKING FOR HELP? In that scenario, they wouldn’t need to see the play, would they? Why did people say Nussmeier saw it and told his QB to lay down? Why did Hoke say in his press conference immediately following the game that it was his decision to leave him in the game because Morris was a tough kid even though Morris had not come off the field immediately to be evaluated by medical staff?  How can the medical staff be blamed if the head coach decides to leave him in the game for another play?

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"Shane came off the field after the following play and was reassessed by the head athletic trainer for the ankle injury. Since the athletic trainer had not seen the hit to the chin and was not aware that a neurological evaluation was necessary, he cleared Shane for one additional play."

QUESTION: Isn’t true that even if you didn’t see the hit, and none of the ‘right people’ saw the hit, that Morris’ reaction to the hit and his teammates both helping a wobbly and dazed QB and No. 5 trying to ask for help would have made a neurological evaluation necessary?

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"The neurologist and other team physicians were not aware that Shane was being asked to return to the field, and Shane left the bench when he heard his name called and went back into the game. Under these circumstances, a player should not be allowed to re-enter the game before being cleared by the team physician. This clearly identifies the need for improvements in our sideline and communication processes."

QUESTION: Who asked him to go back in the game with an ankle injury and the appearance of concussion symptoms? Did Hoke not go over and ask what happened or how he looked when he came off the field? Isn’t it true that at almost every program in the nation, the trainer reports immediately about the availability to of a player to go back in. Who cleared Morris to go back in the game?

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"Following the game, a comprehensive concussion evaluation was completed and Shane has been evaluated twice since the game. As of Sunday, Shane was diagnosed with a probable, mild concussion, and a high ankle sprain. That probable concussion diagnosis was not at all clear on the field on Saturday or in the examination that was conducted post-game. Unfortunately, there was inadequate communication between our physicians and medical staff and Coach Hoke was not provided the updated diagnosis before making a public statement on Monday. This is another mistake that cannot occur again."

QUESTION: After the game? Aren’t there questions that should have been asked while he was out of the game on the bench? Aren’t you throwing ‘probable’ in the mix with concussion to protect your head coach? How do you prevent this mistake from happening with your coach again? Shouldn’t have he have worn a headset and checked his QB when he came off the field like most head coaches?

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"Going forward, we have identified two changes in our procedures that we will implement immediately: We will have an athletic medicine professional in the press box or video booth to ensure that someone will have a bird’s eye view of the on-field action, have television replay available and have the ability to communicate with medical personnel on the sidelines."

QUESTION: You are kidding right? Had a coach in the press box just called down to Hoke—oh wait, he doesn’t wear a head set. Why not listen to players calling for help from the field as Morris’ teammates were trying to do? Or checking them when they come off the field so they don’t get their name called by the head coach?
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"We are also examining how to reinforce our sideline communication processes and how decisions will be made in order to make sure that information regarding student-athlete availability to participate is communicated effectively amongst the medical team and to our coaches."

QUESTION: Does this mean the head coach will wear a headset? Does this mean the ‘right people’ will listen to players on the field when calling for help for a teammate? Does this mean when a head to head targeting penalty is called, someone on the sidelines will have the common sense to check him out? Does this mean when the player gets to the sidelines he will be adequately checked? Does this mean the 3rd string QB will be able to find his helmet?
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"We have learned from this experience, and will continue to improve ways to keep our student-athletes’ health and safety our number one priority."

QUESTION: We have learned that the ‘right people’ don’t have a clue when it comes to protecting players and it appears that the medical people are getting the real blame when as Glen Mason says, the real decision maker is the head coach and he has to rule not to put a guy back in even if he was clear, and in this case, he wasn’t cleared, and in fact, did not get checked for a concussion in your own words until after the game.