University of Michigan Regents to Review AD Dave Brandon and Recent Sideline Communication Failure
ByRegents at the University of Michigan (UM) are going to review athletic director Dave Brandon and the communication failure that led to quarterback Shane Morris stay in a football game after being concussed.
Speaking with CBS Detroit, UM Regent Denise Ilitch said the incident will be a topic of discussion at the next meeting, to be held this Thursday. During a home game loss against Minnesota, Morris took a helmet-to-helmet hit that doctors later confirmed gave him a concussion, but he stayed in for the next play before coming out.
"The system failed that day, and there are a lot of issues that we need to review now," Ilitch said.
UM head football coach Brady Hoke said after the game that neither he nor his football staff saw the hit, but did see Morris stumble and grab a teammate for support. Hoke said he assumed Morris had aggravated an ankle injury because the quarterback waved off team trainers who wanted to assess him.
Brandon later backed up Hoke and said medical personnel and football staff members experienced a miscommunication on the sideline. After the game, UM football fans and students have called for both Hoke and Brandon to lose their jobs, considering how dangerous it is for a concussed football player to stay on the field.
"The reaction has been very strong," Ilitch told CBS Detroit. "I've received hundreds of letters. I know my fellow regents have as well. We'll be discussing it at the meeting. I'm sure we'll have people come to the public meeting and give their opinion."
According to ESPN, the UM Board of Regents cannot fire Brandon, but they can recommend it. Unnamed sources said UM representatives have been gauging interest from three potential replacement athletic directors. The only person who may fire Brandon is Michigan president Mark S. Schlissel, who has only held his office since the beginning of July.