Above: A scene from "Dracula Has Risen From The Grave," starring Christopher Lee, 1968.
Brady Hoke
At least this time, Michigan didn't wait until the wee morning hours before issuing a mea culpa, writes Free Press sports columnist Drew Sharp.
Hoke spoke with Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio on Sunday morning, insisting that he meant no disrespect to either Dantonio or the Spartans' football program.
Coach Brady Hoke apologized Sunday afternoon for what he described as Michigan's "act of poor sportsmanship" before the Wolverines' 35-11 loss to Michigan State in which linebacker Joe Bolden took a tent spike used as a motivational tool Friday onto the field Saturday and fired it into the Spartan Stadium turf in front of ticked-off Michigan State players and coaches.
According to a university statement, Hoke used the tent stake as symbolic of "addressing commitment and teamwork in a tough environment." It's not uncommon for coaches to use props as a means for getting their message across to their players, especially when faced with the overwhelming obstacle of being a 17-point underdog in a heated rivalry game. . . .
Hoke did the right thing Sunday. He owned his mistake. He apologized. His statement suggested that he didn't know that Bolden took the stake out of the locker room. But he should've known it and must bear the consequences.
Following the Wolverines' sixth loss in seven years to MSU, the players sounded more demoralized than their head coach. Their pregame feistiness tempered through a combination of humility and humiliation. It was as though somebody drove a stake through their chests. But that's what happens when big actions don't follow up big talk, leaving little left to say but the obvious.
The tent spike should serve as the last nail in Hoke's Michigan coaching coffin.
How's that for symbolism?
