Brandon: I don't think Brady deserves any blame for what happened on the sidelines
WARNING - This is a Freep article. I will put link at bottom but have copied a few relevant quotes from their story just published.
Not trying to bombard the board but this was just posted and wow. Presented without further comment.
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/2014/10/0…
Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon said today that Brady Hoke had no fault in the handling of his quarterback's brain injury and that the ensuing firestorm will not affect how he evaluates the football coach's job status.
Brandon placed the blame on the school's medical staff for not quickly diagnosing the injury to Shane Morris and relaying the information to coaches, which led to the concussed quarterback staying in for another play and re-entering the game a few minutes later for yet another play.
"I don't think Brady deserves any blame for what happened on the sidelines," Brandon said. "Because Brady is responsible for coaching.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^
If the medical staffers screwed up in their sideline diagnosis—something we can't truly rule out at this juncture—it's interesting that they supposedly fought so hard to get their later diagnosis that he did have a concussion included in the 1am press release. Insisting on the inclusion of the concussion reference guarantees the outside perception that their sideline decisions were bad ones. It's a tacit admission they screwed up, in other words.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:39 PM ^
This is fucking infuriating. There was no "breakdown in communications" such that the Head Coach had no idea on Monday that his QB that was involved in a national media circus was diagnosed as concussed on SUNDAY.
There is zero chance of that. Absolutely none.
Hoke was lying to save his ass, hoping others would lie for him and cover for him.
Unfortunately now it's just lies on lies.
FIRE EVERYBODY.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:11 PM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 9:33 PM ^
...why lie? What's to be gained?
I can't even really figure out why Brandon would need to lie about any of this--why not just say "what happened Saturday was wrong, the coaches and athletic department and medical staff are reviewing our sideline procedures and I can guarantee you this will never happen again"--but what would Hoke gain by lying about what he knew on Sunday?
Maybe I'm being stupid but I just can't put together a motivation that makes sense to me.
October 2nd, 2014 at 10:05 PM ^
The only motivation I can think of is that Brandon saw a lawsuit coming and told him to lie. He stupidly followed his orders.
That's the only possibility I can think of, and one that seems likely.
I also think it is probable that he knew nothing on Saturday, and it think it is possible that he knew nothing on Sunday, as they might have been testing Morris during practice. But I think it is improbable that he didn't know anything on Monday.
October 2nd, 2014 at 11:49 PM ^
That's possible. I'd like to think it was otherwise, but it's plausible.
It also would make Brandon's subsequent actions absolutely asinine. You're worried about getting sued, so you make a statement that simply dumps the blame on another University department, so they can worry about getting sued instead? I doubt Schlissel much cares which department's getting sued--the University is the University, and this would be a pretty glaring admission on Brandon's part that his concern wasn't primarily with the welfare of the University. In my world firing is very much a last resort, but that's the sort of renegade behavior that could bring it into play.
If he thought litigation was a serious threat he should be working with University legal; nothing that's happened looks like it's informed by legal advice.
I hope there's another explanation.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^
Please God let this man be fired!! He will never admit to mistakes, i fear if he stays we may have Hoke for another season.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^
What an asshole. How does he still have a job? Is he trying to force the Regents/Schlissel's hand to fire him so he gets extra $$$?
When asked why he didn't address questions sooner: "Frankly, I've been busy doing things that I think are frankly more important." — Brandon
— Ace Anbender (@AceAnbender) October 2, 2014
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
My daughter will not play a sport for Michigan unless Dave Brandon leaves. Imagine if you were Shane Morris' parents...
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:19 PM ^
I think he's wrong, quite frankly. Frankly, I think that wasn't a good answer. I think he needs to go, if I may be frank.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:22 PM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:14 PM ^
By more important, meaning consulting with his lawyers on how to not get sued by the Morris family.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:01 PM ^
consulting with his lawyers about his buyout
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:27 PM ^
There's putting your foot in your mouth, and there's stepping on your dick, but it's an impressive thing to do them simultaneously.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:38 PM ^
"I don't think Brady deserves any blame for what happened on the sidelines," Brandon said. "Because Brady is responsible for coaching."
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:17 PM ^
..this would certainly get one. Poke Brandon + Simon Pegg = POSworthy.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:39 PM ^
The head coach should not be blamed for anything associated with his team, right?!
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
Statements like that crystalize exactly why Brandon cannot be in charge of the athletic director at a major university. It shows a lack of understanding on Brandon's part.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:43 PM ^
The best way Hoke and Brandon can earn their salaries until the day they are fired is to stop talking to anyone that is recording what they say. Not even a word.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:43 PM ^
As a medical provider, I have this to say, while it is our job to certainly protect the players for sure, it ultimately is the coaches responsibility as well. But Dave Brandon you also admitted the medical staff didn't have enough power/resources and were not well placed to respond appropriately. So just shut up man. Either give them the resources or shut up. You set the medical staff up to fail because you didn't follow the trends on concussion care that the NFL is setting up. Take the responsibility for your failures, just like Hoke should.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:56 PM ^
Can't diagnose someone when they're on the field in the middle of a play.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
No, but they can alert the coaches that the player must come off the field, which they apparently didn't do, and they can also make a diagnosis once a player is off the field, which they clearly didn't do. It was a system-wide failure, including the medical staff.
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:31 PM ^
I have to disagree with you about blaming the medical staff. They literally were not given the resources to effectively manage a situation like this. A failure like this was inevitable given the lack of resources and protocols in effect. That is 100% on the AD. It's 2014, the NFL has been lambasted for this concussion thing for years and they still aren't doing enough in my opinion. So once again this is an AD that is behind the times, tone deaf, and out of touch with the current reality regarding a serious medical issue. The fact that the head coach seemingly goes by the "rub some dirt on it" school of injury care doesn't help(see Gardner, Devin OSU 2013, and Molk, David, 2012 Sugar Bowl) empower the training/medical staff.
If the medical and training staff had actual power and advocacy for the players and their safety then we're not having this discussion because Shane gets pulled on the first hit and that's that. Instead we're in this situation because of a needlessly stubborn HC and a clueless, tone deaf AD.
Let me put it this way, blaming the medical staff in this situation would be like blaming me for failing to transfuse blood on a patient when the hospital literally has no blood to transfuse. Do you blame me the ER nurse because I recognized the problem but can't fix it due to lack of resources, or do you blame the supply chain/blood bank administrators for failing to secure a resource. I'll give you a hint it's not the ER nurse.
October 2nd, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
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October 2nd, 2014 at 10:04 PM ^
Someone on the field has to be in charge -- if everyone is in charge, no one is.
Unless U of M has somehow become the first school in the country where a head coach (w/ zero medical training) can diagnose a concussion, the person "ultimately" responsible is the head trainer.
Across the nation, medical people were specifically put in charge of this b/c a) they are the ones who can properly diagnose it, b) they can focus solely on medical issues during a game (as opposed to the myriad other things a coach has to do) and c) they don't have a W/L record; they won't get fired if we go 4-8.
DB has completely screwed up Michigan's response to this, in many ways, and he is also responsbile for having a standard, but less than perfect (e.g., having someone in the booth, which I guarantee few schools do) system in place. But he's not wrong that it is up to the medical staff, not Hoke. That's how it should be. I don't want coaches determing if some kid who just got drilled in the head (or more challengingly, who just get tackled hard) is OK to play or not -- they have no medical training and the wrong incentives to make that decision.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:44 PM ^
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October 2nd, 2014 at 5:44 PM ^
was someone well versed in crisis management PR and that's your job. There are outside consultants you can call on if needed.
Instead of the no one here is to blame, Dave Brandon 54 hour AWOL, press statement released in the middle of the night, conflicting stories from the AD and head coach approach you took, any half-decent expert would have told you to find out Saturday night, and then come clean. That would have largely ended the concussion circus (leaving the news spotlight on the crappy football performance).
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:44 PM ^
This guy really is a piece of work.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:48 PM ^
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October 2nd, 2014 at 5:45 PM ^
This onslaught of one-on-ones is an absolute disaster. Brandon appears smug, arrogant and smarmy in all of them. Instead of providing one concise, calculated response in a presser, he's gone with the carpet bomb approach and it's going to backfire spectacularly. Each one is full of enough bad quotes to generate a dozen more irrate columns.
Good job. Good effort Dave.
Never turn a one day story into more. Somehow he's going to get a week or more out of it.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:51 PM ^
It would be interesting if that graph also pointed out when Dave Brandon became the CEO.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:57 PM ^
It's IPO in 2004 was $14 (DB took over in '99). It's up 722% since he left.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^
He's the one who took them public.
October 2nd, 2014 at 8:23 PM ^
Of course, the positive effects of a CEO are always felt immediately while he's there his actions never influence the company after he's left.
I have no idea if he was any good as a CEO, but cumong man. This is bush league. Be rational.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:46 PM ^
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October 2nd, 2014 at 5:47 PM ^
My God...
He needs to stop talking and step down. His actions are just selfish at this point.
If he truly cares about this program, he needs to be taking steps to remove himself from his position. Instead he is clinging on for dear life.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
Dave Brandon only cares about Dave Brandon. That's why, until Mark Schlissel brings in two 300 lb security guards and demands his badge, Brandon will be around.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:48 PM ^
That quote by Brandon might be a fireable quote regardless of the context.
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) October 2, 2014
"I don't think the coach is responsible for being aware of his players' status b/c he's responsible for coaching" is so spectacularly dumb.
— Matt Hinton (@MattRHinton) October 2, 2014
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^
Good Lord.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^
Just zero integrity.
NO ONE should go to these games until he's fucking fired.
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:55 PM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 5:57 PM ^
IF anybody was offended by anything, he's sorry.
DB "When we get it wrong, we learn from it, apologize for it if we offend anybody. We're in the business of trying to make our fans happy."
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
...but you've been doing the opposite since circa 2010.
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
October 2nd, 2014 at 6:04 PM ^
He would not be re-establishing his ties to Hoke if it hadn't already been made clear to him that he goes if Hoke has to go. They sink or swim together.