Brady Hoke defends actions, says doctors cleared Shane Morris

Michigan football coach Brady Hoke came out aggressive Monday, defending himself from attacks about his handling of quarterback Shane Morris on Saturday.

Hoke opened his weekly news conference at the Crisler Center by saying that Morris suffered a high ankle sprain in Saturday's game but, based on everything he knows, there was no sign of a concussion.

Hoke said the Michigan medical staff checked out Morris on the sideline and would release a statement later Monday about the specifics of their examination.

"If our trainer says one thing, I'm not going to say the other," Hoke said. "If our doctor says one thing and has studied in the field, it'd be like him telling me run the zone blitz on third down."

The Wolverines practiced Sunday night, and Hoke said Morris would have been on the field if not for the ankle problem.

"I don't make decisions who plays, who doesn't play, as far as when there's injuries — in particular, if there were any head or head trauma," Hoke said. "Those of you who know or don't know, I would never put a kid in that situation."

Morris took a big hit with 11:24 remaining in Saturday's loss to Minnesota, having his head jarred by Gophers player Theiren Cockran.

Hoke said he did not see the hit initially because he was following the ball, which fell incomplete.

But he did talk to Big Ten coordinator of officials Bill Carollo on Sunday night, asking that the hit be re-evaluated for targeting, which brings an ejection. During the game, it only drew a late-hit penalty.

Morris rose and stumbled afterward and leaned on offensive tackle Ben Braden before signaling to the sideline that he didn't want to come out.

Hoke said Morris told him that he only leaned on Braden because his ankle hurt.

Hoke said he trusts his medical staff and, in his three-plus years in charge, they have always told him when a player needed to be removed from the game. Devin Gardner, who relieved Morris when he finally came out after the next play, lost his helmet a few plays later, leading to Morris going back into the game.

Hoke said Morris retook the field while the coach was discussing whether he could put Gardner back in with his helmet on.

"We would never, ever put a guy on the field when there was a possibility of head trauma," Hoke said. "Guys play beat up every day. If they're not beat up, they're not 100%, then they're not doing much. Guys always have nicks and bumps and bruises. I'll also tell you football is a sport where guys have got to be highly competitive. … That's part of their DNA. It's different than a lot of other things."

Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said today that he didn't see the hit and asked Morris on the sideline whether he was OK.

Athletic director Dave Brandon has not been involved in any discussions about Morris, Hoke said.

Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press