Michigan is in full category 5 crisis mode right now. Although you wouldn’t know anything about that if all you watched was Big Ten Network. If you weren’t already certain that BTN is a league PR firm and not a news outlet before, their minimalist coverage of the Michigan drama drives the point home now. Every sports network, other than BTN, is leading their college football shows with Michigan coverage everyday. And justifiably so.
The UM fiasco has crossed over into mainstream news or “hard news” as well. Brady Hoke, Dave Brandon and their cronies are being ripped apart by talking heads left and right. Here’s another slam. This comes from a Fox Sports 1 Analyst. By the way, Fox and BTN have a partnership, FYI.
Joel Klatt was a three-year starter and record-setting quarterback for the University of Colorado. Klatt dealt with concussion issues during his playing career and had a strong, emotional message for Michigan officials when asked to address the situation this afternoon.
Here’s what he said on Fox Sports 1’s “America’s Pregame:” (watch the video to get the full effect)
“It sickens me that Michigan put this kid back on the football field. Somebody needs to pay with their job; whether it’s the trainer, the head coach or the athletic director,” Klatt said. “The bottom line is, we know too much about head trauma for this kid to be back on the field after losing his balance and being that woozy. That sickens me with where I’ve been with my career, not knowing what my future is going to be like after concussions. We know all of these things now about CTE and Shane Morris was put in a precarious situation. That ain’t right.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and very often writes The Sports Bank.net ,which is partners with Fox Sports. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks). His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN 2