Bash Illinois head coach Tim Beckman all you want for two losing seasons, one Big Ten win and seemingly no hope, but one thing is clear: He is not Brady Hoke. 

During his Monday news conference, Beckman was asked about Illinois’ injury procedures, in light of what occurred over the weekend in Ann Arbor. His response praised the medical staff on the sidelines and how everyone is in constant communication. If a player is out, Beckman knows immediately. If a player is set to go back in, Beckman knows immediately. 

“We would never want to harm or put a player in that situation,” Beckman later said. 

This comes after he made the decision to sit quarterback Wes Lunt after he suffered an injury in the previous game and was not at 100 percent during practice. Never mind that sitting Lunt crippled any hope the Illini had of upsetting Nebraska. 

Hearing Beckman say those words leads to genuine belief. The same cannot be said for Hoke and Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon’s words and their subsequent actions. 

Quarterback Shane Morris was already dealing with an ankle injury when he was on the receiving end of big hit. Cameras caught him barely walking, almost collapsing in his teammate’s arms, signs of a concussion. Hoke later said he didn’t see the hit. 

Yet Morris stayed in the game, motioning away medical staff. Morris was then replaced by Devin Gardner. A few plays later, Gardner had to come out of the game after losing his helmet.

Shockingly, Morris came back in. Commentators loudly questioned Hoke and his staff.

How was Morris allowed to come back in? Did no one examine him or take him to the locker room? Why did he even have a helmet in his hands? 

Hoke defended himself. And for days, Michigan was silent on this issue, which was being discussed nationally on Monday morning talk shows. 

I wish I could say it was simple miscommunication, but unfortunately, problems are seemingly deeper within a once-proud program.

After midnight Tuesday, Brandon finally released a statement. Right away the yellow flags should be raised, because who issues statements at such an obscure time?

Those who want to sweep events under the rug, that’s who. 

What Brandon miscalculated was the Internet jumping over him and dissecting every word. Reports surfaced that Michigan tried to discredit the medical staff, thus the delay of the statement.

If true, Brandon and Hoke should be terminated. 

Hoke should be fired for overseeing the downfall of a Big Ten power. He was already on the hot seat prior to Saturday. He should not however be fired immediately, unless another issue arises. Save for USC last year, mid-season coaching changes rarely inspire teams. 

Brandon should be let go if it’s found he attempted to coerce medical professionals to lie and because the football program needs new life, starting at the top. For further proof of how far Michigan has fallen, in no circumstances should the third-largest stadium in the world need to partner with Coca-Cola to give tickets away. 

But there is arguably a bigger issue here: player safety. All too often, we watch as schools prioritize football over everything. 

Brady Hoke is not a bad person. He is a good coach, just not a good head coach. But there is history to suggest he pushes injured players to the limit. 

By not establishing a clear line of communication with the medical staff and by letting a clearly injured student-athlete return to such a violent game, Hoke should lose his job. 

Erik is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @e_prada.