fire Brandon - Schlissel email response

Thank you for contacting us and sharing your concerns about the state of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Michigan.  I greatly appreciate the thoughtful input that I and other leaders have received from you and many other members of our community.  Such input only serves to enhance my feeling of pride at becoming a member of the Michigan family.

The passion you bring to U-M, and in particular U-M Athletics, is both amazing and apparent.  We appreciate your commitment to the university and support of our student-athletes.  This depth and intensity of dedication help make Michigan a great and special institution. We value your support and recognize your concerns.

On the issue of student-athlete safety, I am extremely disappointed in the events surrounding the handling of an on-field injury to Shane Morris, one of our football players.  I have apologized for the breakdown in our system of responding to player injuries.  New measures to correct issues identified last weekend and enhance player safety will be implemented for our October 4 game at Rutgers.  I support these immediate changes in medical protocols that the Athletic Department has identified in its initial assessment, and I have instructed the Department to do a thorough review of our in-game player safety procedures with the involvement of experts from our Health System.  

I pledge to make sure that our procedures going forward reflect the very best practices for student-athlete safety and will enforce the necessary accountability to protect the health of our players.

Is everyone getting this response to emails calling for new AD?

Since my arrival in July, I have spent a great deal of time getting to know our campus and students.  I have been particularly struck by the conviction and drive of our student-athletes both on and off the field, and I am focused on doing all I can to support them in their academic, athletic and community efforts.  Like all aspects of our university, I aspire for athletics to continue to be among the “leaders and best” and will work toward this goal in the months and years ahead.

We know that we must find the way to maintain the traditions we hold so dear while keeping our athletic program vibrant and competitive into the future.  We are learning from our experiences and we are listening to alumni and fans.  I feel that I owe it to our university community, our alumni, the many fans of our athletic teams, our student-athletes, and the dedicated leaders and staff of our Athletic Department to thoughtfully and deliberately consider the right way forward.

Thank you again for taking the time to write.  I hope that you continue to support our student-athletes, our athletic traditions, and our great university as passionately as you always have.

Go Blue!

Sincerely,

Mark Schlissel