There’s serious turmoil in Ann Arbor these days, and it could cost University of Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon his job.
The Michigan football team fell 30-14 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday to drop to 2-3 on the season. It was the first time in the 135-year history of the program that the Wolverines have lost three times in September.
Unfortunately, the school’s problems don’t end there.
A Michigan student has started a petition for Brandon to be fired as athletic director, claiming that the football program has become a “black eye” for the school.
Brandon and Michigan head coach Brady Hoke are in serious hot water for their handling of quarterback Shane Morris, who suffered a concussion against Minnesota but was re-inserted into the game despite his injury. Brandon issued an apology after the game, citing a “severe lack of communication.”
“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,” the petition reads.
“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. … When the athletic department produces overwhelmingly negative media attention, it distracts from the main mission of the university.”
Zeid El-Kilani, the petition’s creator, is not alone in his thinking, as the document had garnered nearly 7,000 signatures as of 3 p.m. Tuesday. Michigan students also plan to hold a rally Tuesday night to call for Brandon’s dismissal.
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