Under fire for a disappointing 2-3 record Brady Hoke added to his problems with a convoluted explanation of how the team handled multiple injuries to quarterback Shane Morris during Michigan’s 30-14 loss to Minnesota.
Hoke fielded a number of questions about Morrris' injury but dodged giving direct answers when pressed for specifics.
Hoke would never let an athlete play after a possible concussion—but didn’t see the actual play. He assumes that someone checked on Shane Morris before he returned—but couldn’t say for sure.
Hoke defended the team’s actions during Monday’s press conference even as criticism continues to mount as a video clip of a dazed Morris circulates on the Web.
It shows Morris receiving a vicious hit to the helmet which left him leaning on offensive lineman Ben Braden before staggering back to the team’s huddle.
A national television audience saw it. People in the crowd at Michigan Stadium saw it. Journalists in the press box saw it.
But Brady Hoke missed it, and nobody on the sideline intervened to pull Morris off the field.
Even after seeing the video Hoke refused to admit that Morris should have been pulled from the game.
“Again, you're being hypothetical, and we’re not going to work in [hypotheticals],” said Hoke.
He placed the responsibility on the players to decide if they should take themselves out, even though a head injury would impair their judgement to make such a decision.
[Players] love to compete and they love to play. So if you’re asking about that mentality I think that’s what they all have. That’s what they’ve done since whenever they started playing the game. I think they also know if the injury is one where you don’t think you can continue to go to go down.
Dealing with concussions is a huge problem for football at all levels. Hoke could have addressed Michigan’s protocol for dealing with injuries while admitting that teams—all teams—need better ways of evaluating head injuries.
But instead he appeared defensive and gave no clear answer on what he had learned from Saturday’s potential injury to Morris.
His weak response is another example of why his time at Michigan is nearly over.
Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted all quotations obtained firsthand.
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