Michigan AD Dave Brandon Will Not Fire Head Coach Brady Hoke Over Shane Morris Concussion; He 'Deserves Every Opportunity to Compete Through the Season'

Michigan AD Dave Brandon and head coach Brady Hoke have both come under fire after Hoke and his coaching staff allowed quarterback Shane Morris to re-enter last Saturday's game with a concussion. On Thursday, Brandon revealed that Hoke, at least, is safe in his job for now.

"We feel strongly at the University of Michigan athletic department that coaches deserve every opportunity to compete through the season that they have prepared for and that their student-athletes are committed to, and then we evaluate coaches at the end of the season," Brandon told The Associated Press, via Fox Sports. "We do that with every one of our 31 coaches. It's no different for football."

The crux of the criticism that Brandon and Hoke have been facing centers around the way the two handled the entire Morris concussion situation. There was a clear lack of communication, which both have reiterated multiple times. Brandon and university president Mark S. Schlissel have both voiced their intentions of reviewing and reevaluating the athletic department's policies on handling on-field injuries.

Brandon has even gone as far as to say now that the communication breakdown was at the fault of the medical staff, not Hoke.

"Coaches are supposed to coach, and medical staff are supposed to go over and tell the coach at any given time, 'There's a player on the field that shouldn't be out there. Get him off.' Or, 'We've just examined a player and they are not able to participate any more. We've taken away their helmet,'" Brandon said. "And that's all coaches need to hear, and that's their only responsibility in these cases."

Even before the Morris's concussion became an issue, Hoke was already receiving criticism from the Michigan fan base because in four years at the helm of the Wolverines, he's put together a pretty mediocre record for a historically dominant program, and this year, the team is just 2-3. But Brandon, once again, is confident in his head football coach. 

"Brady and his staff are clearly disappointed, as we all are, that after five games this season, we're not where we want to be or where we expected to be," Brandon said. "But what we need to do, those of us who care a lot about Michigan football — and we're passionate about it — is we need to support our players, support our coaches and recognize that we have seven and hopefully eight more games to play, before this season is over. And until this season is over, these coaches and these players have great opportunities ahead of them."