Michigan's Brady Hoke defends handling of Shane Morris injury

Michigan head coach Brady Hoke drew plenty of criticism Saturday for the handling of Shane Morris after the quarterback was injured against Minnesota.

Morris was hit repeatedly by the Golden Gophers defense and got up looking woozy after an especially hard hit early in the fourth quarter. Morris remained in the game for a short time before giving way for backup Devin Gardner and getting evaluated for a concussion.

Hoke's post-game comments seemed to indicate he was unaware whether or not Morris had suffered a concussion and left the impression that Hoke hadn't acted appropriately following Morris' injury. On Sunday, Hoke released a statement defending the actions of both himself and Michigan's medical staff.  

"The safety of our student-athletes is always our top priority," Hoke said in the statement, via The Detroit News. "We generally never discuss the specifics of a student-athlete's medical care, but Shane Morris was removed from yesterday's game against Minnesota after further aggravating an injury to his leg that he sustained earlier in the contest.

"He was evaluated by our experienced athletic trainers and team physicians, and we're confident proper medical decisions were made. The University of Michigan has a distinguished group of Certified Athletic Trainers and team physicians who are responsible for determining whether or not a player is physically able to play.

"Our coaches have no influence or authority to make determinations if or when an injured player returns to competition. The health and welfare of our student-athletes is and will continue to be a top priority."

Hoke is already on the hot seat for Michigan's poor play, leading them to a disappointing 2-3 record this season, and a controversy like this will only hurt his chances of remaining as Wolverines head coach.