Michigan students sign petition to fire AD Dave Brandon, plan rally
Michigan students have started an online petition to fire athletic director Dave Brandon and are planning a rally for Tuesday evening, MLive.com's Jeremy Allen reports.
Nearly 2,000 students have signed the petition to fire Brandon. MGoBlog.com commenters are organizing a "Fire Dave Brandon Rally" for Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Diag on the school's central campus.
Central Student Government president Bobby Dishell released a statement calling for the athletic department to take responsibility for its errors in how it handled quarterback Shane Morris' head injury. "Policies must be followed in full," Dishell wrote. "The injuries of student-athletes must be addressed with the precision and care that are compliant with code. Officials, staff members, and managers must, and should, be held accountable for their decisions and the actions that follow. CSG joins the voice of students and their demand for managerial culpability."
• ROSENBERG: Questions about Hoke's integrity are misguided
The petition comes after Brandon admitted the school mishandled Morris' injury during Saturday's loss to Minnesota. Morris was re-inserted into the game despite being visibly wobbly after a big hit from Minnesota linebacker Theiren Cockran. Michigan coach Brady Hoke claimed they removed Morris because of an ankle injury and did not see any helmet-to-helmet contact. In his statement, Brandon said Morris suffered a "probable, mild concussion."
"I sincerely apologize for the mistakes that were made," Brandon said in the statement. "We have to learn from this situation, and moving forward, we will make important changes so we can fully live up to our shared goal of putting student-athlete safety first."
Hoke has been criticized for Michigan starting 2-3 this season, including back-to-back home losses to Utah and Minnesota. It is the first time Michigan has had three losses before October in its 135-year history.
• STAPLES: The growing gap within the SEC
- Paul Palladino
