ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Students at the University of Michigan gathered in protest on Tuesday, calling for their Athletic Director’s resignation.
The rally came after school officials admitted they mishandled a player’s injury during Saturday’s football game against Minnesota.
Michigan quarterback, Shane Morris, sustained a concussion in a crushing hit, and was then re-entered into the game after sitting out for one play.
U of M’s head football coach, Brady Hoke, is being criticized for not immediately sitting Morris out for the remainder of the game.
As a result of the backlash, Michigan has announced changes to its injury protocol, saying the incident was a massive miscommunication within the coaching staff.
David Brandon, the university’s Athletic Director, issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday, in which he described how the mistakes were made on Saturday, what’s being done to prevent future mistakes of that nature, as well as issuing an apology:
“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.” – Dave Brandon, Athletic Director
Brandon’s entire statement is available by clicking here.
U of M’s president, Mark Schlissel, also issued a statement, part of which reads:
“I have been in regular discussion regarding this incident and its aftermath with Athletic Director David Brandon and the Board of Regents. I support the immediate protocol changes that the department’s initial assessment has identified. I have instructed the Athletic Department to provide me, the Board of Regents, and other campus leaders with a thorough review of our in-game player safety procedures, particularly those involving head injuries, and will involve experts from the University of Michigan Health System in assessing its medical aspects.” – Mark Schlissel, President
Click here for Schlissel’s entire statement on the matter.
