University of Michigan president Mark Schlissel released a statement Tuesday, harshly criticizing the handling of concussed quarterback Shane Morris in Saturday’s game against Minnesota. Morris looked very clearly concussed, but was not pulled from the game.
Michigan president criticizes handling of Shane Morris concussion
President Mark Schlissel released a harsh statement on the football team’s decision to put its concussed quarterback back in Saturday’s game.
As the leader of our university community, I want to express my extreme disappointment in the events surrounding the handling of an on-field injury to one of our football players, Shane Morris. The health and safety of our entire student community, including all of our student-athletes, is my most important responsibility as university president.
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.
Despite having one of the finest levels of team medical expertise in the country, our system failed on Saturday. We did not get this right and for this I apologize to Shane, his family, his teammates, and the entire Michigan family. It is a critical lesson to us about how vigilant and disciplined we must always be to ensure student-athlete safety. As president, I will take all necessary steps to make sure that occurs and to enforce the necessary accountability for our success in this regard.
Our communications going forward will be direct, transparent and timely. The University of Michigan stands for the highest level of excellence in everything we do, on and off the field. That standard will guide my review of this situation and all the University's future actions.
My thanks go to the many members of the University community who have taken the time to express their thoughts.
The university has come under heavy criticism for not handling the situation the right way. Coach Brady Hoke defended his actions, saying that he did not see anything that indicated Morris was concussed. Athletic director Dave Brandon acknowledged that there was “miscommunication” that led to the Wolverines mistakenly keeping Morris in the game. Schlissel’s comments were much harsher, and there’s a growing sentiment that the criticism could potentially lead to the firing of Hoke, who curiously, was not mentioned by name in the statement.
UMich prez @DrMarkSchlissel releases statement, doesn’t use Brady Hoke’s name once: http://t.co/HC9GJPWw0o Someone’s getting FIRED …
— Matt Watson (@mattwatson) September 30, 2014
There have also been many calls for the firing of Brandon. Thousands signed a petition for his firing on Tuesday.
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