Michigan regents begin ‘deliberate review’ of Dave Brandon

In a monthly meeting of Michigan’s governing board and university president on Thursday, one message was clear: the university’s prized football program has fallen low enough to put athletic director Dave Brandon’s job at stake.

In a Board of Regents meeting in Ann Arbor, criticisms weren’t publicly thrown Brandon’s way, but at least one Michigan donor has begun exploring interest in other Power 5 athletic directors should Brandon be fired, according to ESPN. A third party, per ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, has also contacted three candidates.

On the record, this was the most powerful comment to emerge:

President Mark Schlissel began the meeting by saying he was “deeply disappointed” in the athletic department’s handling of the whole situation. He reportedly didn’t mention Brandon by name, and afterward, several regents agreed that a “deliberate review” was going to be necessary before making any long-term decisions, including whether Brandon will remain as Michigan’s AD.

“It’s a circumstance that requires patience and also a degree of urgency,” regent Mark Bernstein said, via ESPN. “John Wooden, the UCLA basketball coach, used to say, ‘Play quickly, but don’t rush.’ This is the kind of thing that needs resolution, but it’s not the type of thing that serves anybody well to come out immediately with a decision.”

Bernstein didn’t comment on whether he supported Brandon. One other regent, Andrea Fischer Newman, said she did support Brandon, though she wasn’t happy with how the athletic department communicated with everyone following Morris’ injury.

“I think the university was slow in responding to everything that happened in the past month,” Newman said. “I don’t know whose immediate responsibility that is, but I think we agree there was definitely a response problem.”

Moving forward, Brandon obviously has plenty of fences to mend. One of Schlissel’s goals for the review of the athletic department is to evaluate its relationship with the Michigan community, especially the student body. A student representative spoke at Thursday’s meeting and called for Brandon’s job.

Brandon (and football coach Brady Hoke, for that matter) still appear to face uphill battles in keeping their jobs, but it seems clear at this point that Michigan is going to take its time before making any significant decisions.