Sports

University of Michigan Leadership to Take a Deliberate Approach to Reviewing Concussion Miscommunication

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The University of Michigan's (UM) leaders are not going to jump to any judgment in the athletic department's communication failure regarding Shane Morris' concussion.

According to ESPN, UM's board of regents and president said at Thursday's monthly meeting that the approach to reviewing the incident will be deliberate. One regent had already told a local television station that they planned a review of athletic director Dave Brandon.

President Mark Schlissel's first comments at the meeting was reportedly that he was "deeply disappointed" to see how Morris' concussion was handled. One of the most prestigious football programs in the nation, third-party UM athletic reps have been asking around at other Power 5 conference programs, seeking out potential replacements for Brandon.

"It's a circumstance that requires patience and also a degree of urgency," Mark Bernstein, a UM regent, told 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."

Morris took a helmet-to-helmet hit after throwing a pass Sept. 27 at home against Minnesota before falling back and whipping his head on the ground. When he got up, he wobbled, almost fell and had to clutch a teammate to stay upright. However, UM head football coach Brady Hoke said neither he nor his staff saw the hit and thought Morris stumbled due to an ankle injury.

Morris waved off medical personnel and stayed in for one more play before coming out. Brandon later backed up Hoke's account and also confirmed that Morris had sustained a concussion.

"I think the university was slow in responding to everything that happened in the past month," Andrea Fischer Newman, another UM regent, told ESPN. "I don't know whose immediate responsibility that is, but I think we agree there was definitely a response problem."

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