Michigan Students Start Petition, Plan Rally To Remove Dave Brandon As AD After Shane Morris Scandal
By: Evan Jankens
@kingofthekc
In the wake of a middle of the night announcement that Shane Morris did indeed play with a concussion Saturday, it appears University of Michigan students are fed up with Dave Brandon as the athletic director of the school.
Students have started a petition to remove Brandon as the AD. According to MGoBlog, students are also hosting a "fire Dave Brandon" rally at 6 p.m. on the Diag in Ann Arbor.
The petition reads:
Dave Brandon is the current Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Michigan. He has held the title since 2010. Upon being named the Athletic Director, Mr. Brandon stated "athletic programs play [a role] in helping to shape the culture and image of our university community." Unfortunately, under Mr. Brandon's tenure, the football program, one of the most prominent programs at the University of Michigan and in the nation, has become a black eye for the University of Michigan. Instead of adding to the image and prestige of the university, the state of the athletic department has hurt the connection shared between alumni, fans, and the university. Furthermore, policies and decisions of the athletic department have alienated the current student body. As a result, the university risks producing a generation of alumni that are disinterested and disengaged. Finally, President Mark Schlissel previously stated that one draw of the athletic program is to provide an avenue for "public attention on to the other wonderful things that are happening on campus..." When the athletic department produces overwhelmingly negative media attention, it distracts from the main mission of the university.
With over 3,000 signatures already, there is no way to tell how many will sign this petition by the time it's over.
Brandon released a statement about the Shane Morris incident saying he did have a concussion, roughly 12 hours after Michigan head coach Brady Hoke took the podium and said that to his knowledge he didn't.
Sportswriters and fans across the country are questioning many things about the incident -- including how exactly all those coaches managed to miss Morris' knees giving out while his head lolled to the side after he got up from that brutal hit, how it was they decided he was the only one qualified to decide if he should play afterward, and how they managed not to communicate with each other about on-field injury or the concussion afterward -- as Hoke's press conference reportedly came after the diagnosis.
Most of all they're wondering about Hoke and Brandon: Can they -- and should they -- be able to survive this crisis in their jobs?
