Michigan Admits Quarterback Played With A Head Injury After Coach Claimed He Wasn't Hurt

The Shane Morris injury situation took another strange turn early Tuesday when Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon released a statement at 1 a.m. eastern admitting Morris had a concussion on Saturday and apologizing for playing him.

Morris took a violent hit to the head in the fourth quarter of Michigan's 30-14 loss to Minnesota. He played one more play before stumbling and coming to the sidelines. He was later reinserted into the game after his backup lost his helmet before finally being carted off.

On Monday coach Brady Hoke said Morris was medically cleared to play.

"Well, number one, we would never put a quarterback who was hurt (in there). That would never happen," he said.

Hours later, Brandon released his late-night statement contradicting that version of the story. He said Morris was diagnosed with a concussion after the game. Morris was allowed to keep playing initially because no one realized he took a hit to the head, he said.

"From the field level and without the benefit of replays, medical and coaching staffs did not see the hit," he said, "Since the athletic trainer had not seen the hit to the chin and was not aware that a neurological evaluation was necessary, he cleared Shane for one additional play."

"I sincerely apologize for the mistakes that were made," he said.

So Morris never underwent a concussion test between the hit and when he went back into the game.

Here's the hit. It was a massive hit right out in the open. It's hard to imagine how no one could have seen it (via Big Lead Sports):

He was having trouble standing up after the play:

Here's Brandon full explanation of what went on:

"In the fourth quarter, Shane took a significant hit and stumbled after getting up. From the field level and without the benefit of replays, medical and coaching staffs did not see the hit. Because they did not see the hit, the athletic training staff believed Shane stumbled because of his ankle injury. The team neurologist, watching from further down the field, also did not see the hit. However, the neurologist, with expertise in detecting signs of concussion, saw Shane stumble and determined he needed to head down the sideline to evaluate Shane.

"Shane came off the field after the following play and was reassessed by the head athletic trainer for the ankle injury. Since the athletic trainer had not seen the hit to the chin and was not aware that a neurological evaluation was necessary, he cleared Shane for one additional play.

"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. 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 communication processes.

"Following the game, a comprehensive concussion evaluation was completed and Shane has been evaluated twice since the game. As of Sunday, Shane was diagnosed with a probable, mild concussion, and a high ankle sprain. That probable concussion diagnosis was not at all clear on the field on Saturday or in the examination that was conducted post-game. Unfortunately, there was inadequate communication between our physicians and medical staff and Coach Hoke was not provided the updated diagnosis before making a public statement on Monday. This is another mistake that cannot occur again."

It's unclear why Michigan would allow Hoke to go out on Monday and speak about the Morris injury without knowing he was never tested for a concussion before going back into he game.