Here in Ann Arbor, where I happen to live, the big controversy is over the University of Michigan football program. And it's not simply because the team may be on its way to worst season in a long time. Last week, in a game against Minnesota, sophomore quarterback Shane Morris took a hard blow to the head. The defensive player should have been ejected and suspended. But the controversy is over what happened next.

Morris, woozy from the hit, got up and stumbled so badly he needed help from an offensive lineman to stand upright. The coaching staff let him stay in one more play and then, a few plays later, they let him reenter the game, albeit briefly, when his replacement had to come out for one down.

Afterwards, Coach Brady Hoke told reporters he had assumed that Morris was wobbly because of a leg injury the quarterback suffered earlier in the game. Medical staff had cleared Morris to keep playing and the quarterback had waved away sideline help. Hoke said he wasn’t even sure if Morris had been concussed. Then, in the middle of the night, Athletic Director Dave Brandon released a statement confirming that, yes, Morris suffered a concussion.

The debate around town now is whether the coaches and administrators are guilty of incompetence, indifference, or some combination. The new university president has issued an apology, reaffirmed the school’s commitment to player safety, and vowed to review team procedures. Alumni, fans, and a sports columnist for the Michigan Daily have called for ousting either Brandon or Hoke, and the whole thing has become one giant mess.