The department is clearly suffering from
miscommunication. Shane Morris,
Michigan’s very own quarterback suffered a probable, mild concussion and a high
ankle sprain in a game against the University of Minnesota. At a recent press
conference, Hoke said
quarterback Shane Morris did not suffer a concussion when he was hit during a
fourth-quarter play in Saturday's losing game to Minnesota and he had no reason
to believe the player was injured. Hoke
said he and Athletic Director David Brandon have not had any discussions about
it.
David
Brandon claimed that a neurologist saw signs of a concussion and rushed to the
field to check on the player, but Morris was already sent back in the game
before the neurologist arrived.
According
to Kelly Rossman-McKinney, the chief executive of Truscott Rossman, a Lansing-based
public relations firm, U-M has not followed the PR handbook's rules in dealing
with a crisis. She claims there is a
three-pronged approach to crisis communications, which include these steps:
- Acknowledge the mistake
- Apologize
- Act to amend
Brandon
did not take action of these steps until 1 a.m. this morning, extending the
cycle yet another day. This unfortunate situation is clearly a shot to not only the university's football team, but for the University of Michigan's reputation in general. I think it is a shame that the coach would care so much about winning to make an injured player continue to play. There is also fault in the PR team for handling this situation so poorly. Coach Hoke, Brandon and the University of Michigan will all have to suffer the repercussions of Hokes' mistake.
Critics
are more than eager to see the firing of both Coach Brady Hoke and the athletic
director, David Brandon. Even U-M
students are pushing this decision. According to the Detroit Free Press, More
than 1,900 students had signed a petition asking for Brandon to be fired as of
10 a.m. Tuesday. A rally is planned for 6 p.m. today on campus to call for his
firing.
To read more about the U-M Football scandal, visit these sites:
Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
Lani,
ReplyDeleteCoach Hoke may have noticed him stumble a little bit but in my sports management classes we had talked about this. The head coach has no worries about players injuries he is thinking ten-12 plays into the future. The athletic trainers who talked to him before he magically walked out on the field should have done what every player hates. They should have taken his helmet away. Can't go onto the field without a helmet right. So firing the head coach and athletic director would be one solution but why fire the ones sitting at the bottom of the mountain getting hit with all the problems when you can find where the problem started and fire that guy they should be looking at the trainers for why they didn't follow procedure.
Michigan coaches don't last long with losing seasons (or winning seasons if they aren't beating OSU) I agree with Kyle, the pressure of looking after the well-being of players has to be on someone whose job doesn't depend on the win.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me like the coach lied at the press conference. And if he didn't lie, but actually didn't know about the concussion by then, well maybe he really should be fired...or resign. What's clear to me is that he's more concerned about his team's record and image than the well-being of his players.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is footfall is a business. Those at the top are responsible for all those below. This is a poorly run business. In the end, the head coach and the athletic director must answer for the miscommunication and poor handling of the situation.
ReplyDeleteI am not a huge football fan nor do I know much about the industry of the sport, but I do know that what both the coach and the athletic director did to their player was inhumane. The player was obviously injured on the field and the coach put his own desire of winning before the health of his quarterback. What I do not get is, what good would a concussed quarterback do in a football game?
ReplyDelete