Oct 1, 2014
Gardner to start at QB for embattled Michigan in place of injured Morris
Devin Gardner will return to the starting quarterback position for Michigan when the struggling Wolverines take the field Saturday at Rutgers following a tumultous week for the program. Head coach Brady Hoke confirmed Gardner's re-insertion atop the depth chart after the fifth-year senior was benched in favor of sophomore Shane Morris for last week's game against Minnesota.
The Sports Network
![Brady Hoke, The Canadian Press Brady Hoke](/polopoly_fs/1.96773.1412206066!/fileimage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/brady-hoke.jpg)
Ann Arbor, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - Devin Gardner will return to the starting quarterback position for Michigan when the struggling Wolverines take the field Saturday at Rutgers following a tumultous week for the program.
Head coach Brady Hoke confirmed Gardner's re-insertion atop the depth chart after the fifth-year senior was benched in favor of sophomore Shane Morris for last week's game against Minnesota.
Morris sustained a mild concussion during the Wolverines' 30-14 loss but was allowed to return to the game despite not being cleared by the team neurologist, a decision that has drawn heavy criticism upon Hoke and athletic director Dave Brandon from the media as well as Michigan students and supporters of the program.
Brandon released a statement Tuesday in response to the controversy, acknowledging that there had been a "serious lack of communication" between the medical staff and the coaches in regards to Morris' injury.
Morris, who had suffered an ankle injury earlier in the game, stumbled and appeared dazed after taking a hit from Minnesota's Theiren Cockran in the fourth quarter. He stayed on the field for one more play before being pulled to the sidelines, but later returned for another play on the same drive.
Brandon said the training staff did not see the hit Morris took and believed the stumble was a result of the previous ankle injury. According to the statement, the neurologist was in the process of making his way to evaluate Morris when he went back in the game.
"The neurologist and other team physicians were not aware that Shane was being asked to return to the field, and Shane left the bench when he heard his name called and went back into the game," Brandon said. "Under these circumstances, a player should not be allowed to re-enter the game before being cleared by the team physician. This clearly identifies the need for improvements in our sideline and communications processes."
The athletic department's handling of the situation prompted several students and fans to form a protest on the lawn of university president Mark Schlissel's residence Tuesday, calling for Brandon's resignation.
During his press conference on Wednesday, Hoke supported Brandon's remarks while reaffirming that he and his coaches do not have final say on whether an injured player should be put on the field.
"I take responsibility for our student-athletes and I would take it for their health and welfare, but I also made clear that I don't make decisions on injuries and that shouldn't be a coaches' decision," said Hoke. "That's why we have some of the best trainers, some of the best doctors in the country. They will, unchallenged, have the full authority to make those decisions."
Hoke told reporters on Monday that he had not been informed that Morris may have been dealing with a concussion during the game. He said Morris has been ruled out for Saturday's tilt.
Gardner had started 16 straight regular-season games at quarterback prior to last week's loss, but threw six interceptions as the Wolverines split their first four contests of 2014. Two of those picks came in a 26-10 home loss to Utah on Sept. 20 that led to Morris being named the starter against Minnesota.