It's a tough time to be a Michigan Man.
The Wolverines football program is in disarray, the team was soundly beaten by rival Michigan State on Saturday to threaten any hopes of a bowl game, and athletic director Dave Brandon has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of several incidents.
Despite all that, Brandon still has one major player in his corner as calls for his firing pour in: Miami Dolphins owner and Michigan super-booster Stephen Ross.
"There's a lot more to the job than winning football games," Ross told the Wall Street Journal on Monday. "That's the coach's responsibility."
While adding that he still thinks Brandon can do the job, that is not exactly a ringing endorsement or vote of confidence for Michigan coach Brady Hoke. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as Hoke is widely viewed as a lame-duck head coach at this point, topping College Football 24/7's Hot Seat rankings once again following the loss to the Spartans.
As for Brandon, however, it appears his job is on the line at the moment and a decision will be made about his future first. The school's board of regents met earlier this month and reportedly discussed the athletic director position. School president Mark Schlissel, who has little experience when it comes to college athletics, has been asking around for opinions on Brandon. While it seems as though the program's biggest booster is supportive, Ross won't stand in the way of a change at the position.
"I don't think alumni should control universities," Ross said. "We have a great president and he is running the university and not me."
Ross is the biggest booster in school history and just last year announced a gift of $200 million, half of which was earmarked for the athletic department.
The Wolverines will host Indiana on Saturday in what should make for an interesting Homecoming game.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
