Brady Hoke Monday Press Conference: Maryland Week
11/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 17, 2014
• Game Notes 
| Game Central
• Press Conference: Coach Hoke 
| Gardner, Ryan | Coach Mattison | Coach Nussmeier
• Inside Michigan Football
J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach Brady Hoke
Opening statement ... "Obviously you all know, and I put a statement out, we had a situation during the bye week with a young man making a bad decision. After getting all the facts that we could get, and that I could get, I made a decision to dismiss Frank Clark from the program. What was reported, and I'm sure you've all been through it with a fine-tooth comb, is not acceptable. It's not what we want here, associated with our program. I know in the statement I talked about it being tragic. Domestic abuse is tragic. It's tragic on a national scale. It's tragic, it's somewhere in our society and we all need to do something about it. Being a husband, being a father, having two sisters, it's a message that I send strongly to our football team about how we will handle ourselves with women. With that being said, we're excited about Saturday. We're excited about playing Maryland. The biggest excitement is that we have 12 kids who are going to play their last home football game here at Michigan. There are 12 seniors, two of them have graduated; one will have his master's, and the others will graduate either this fall or the end of winter (semester). We're very proud of what they've done representing the University of Michigan. Hopefully, people will get in the stadium early so that they can be honored. Obviously, we've got a great football game with Maryland."
On what to expect from Maryland ... "They do a lot. They've got a pretty big package, especially when you get into third downs. They've done a nice job attacking the quarterback. I think they're one sack above us in the league when you look at it from a defensive standpoint. I think they run very well. If you watched Saturday night's game, I certainly did, that game was a heck of a football game for a while. It got a little out of hand after the interception for the touchdown, but they're very impressive in what they can do. I think they've won three or four games on the road; so they've played well on the road also."
On if he's spoken to the team about domestic violence ... "We speak about it constantly. Believe me, at least four times a year we have people from the university come in. I've told our guys since day one that it won't be tolerated, won't be tolerated in this program. I have a daughter who's 29; I've got a wife; I've got two sisters. That's always been probably one of the first things that I talk about with our team at least a couple times a year."
On if the NFL domestic violence incidences impacted the decision ... "No, it really didn't. The decision was made getting all the information that we could, that I could. In doing that, there was no decision to be made."
On when he found out about Frank Clark and if they've spoken ... "I have not spoken to Frank yet. I'll talk to him sometime, there's no question about it. I look forward to talking to him. About eight o'clock Sunday morning -- that's when I found out."
On his reaction to the Frank Clark situation ... "Number one, make sure you get both sides of every story. There are always two. Make sure you can get all the information that you can. We have character and integrity that we believe in and make sure that we're abiding by those beliefs."
On if he had new information after his statement ... "I just wanted to make sure that we were correct in everything we were doing."
On if he feels burned that Frank Clark did this ... "I don't feel burned by anything. It's something that just can't be tolerated. I think that you've got 18 to 22 year olds. Maybe we all made better decisions than they do, I don't know. But I do know that there is a standard that we believe in and that I believe in on how you represent yourself and more importantly how you represent this program. That's one of the things that we talk about. I'm going to make the decisions that are best for this program. Not for a person, not for a coach -- what's best for this program. I don't feel burned, that's part of mentoring. You feel like you failed a little bit. Let's put it that way."
On if he was shocked by the news ... "To be honest with you, you are disappointed. Disappointed as a teacher and a mentor and as a coach, that's what you're trying to do. That's why I got into coaching. I got into it to help develop kids because I had a coach who cared about me. Cared about me, not just as a player."
On what makes second chances worth it ... "I think you've got to evaluate the word chance. What exactly is it? I think that there's no question that there's been so many positives with guys who have come through this program, guys who went through the Ball State program and at San Diego State, that learned some hard lessons and paid some dear consequences. Obviously, Frank's going to deal with significant consequences. At the same time, I'm going to support Frank to get back on his feet and to keep growing as a man."
On if he's asking, 'what's it going to be today?' ... "It's been one of those years. Honestly, our focus -- you may think I'm nuts -- but it's all about those 115 kids. That's what I focus on. If I don't do that then I'll get distracted because this guy says this and this is what someone thinks. I do know that we're doing the right things for these kids and this program. The harsh reality of it is I did the right thing today."
On Devin Gardner's ability to move around on offense ... "We had practice last night; we had a very good practice. Watching him move around, I think this is as close to healthy as he's been in the last six weeks and does it open up some things because of his ability? Yeah, I think so."
On if he worries about discipline issues ... "I have no worries about how we handle our kids and what we do with them and the consequences they pay for anything. I have no issues with that. I just know that we live in an imperfect world, and sometimes there are mistakes that are made. For us to abandon ship, depending on the circumstances, is giving up on what is great about our country and developing men, because we need to develop men."
On compensating for the absence of Frank Clark... "What we'll do, and we did this a little bit last week, is Taco (Charlton) will go over with (Mario) Ojemudia. Mario will be the guy who will take the first snaps, and then Taco will go over there. Henry Poggi will come in and be (Brennen) Beyer's back up. Henry has done a really nice job. He scrimmaged, and we talked about that, I think we did on Wednesday. Willie (Henry) did some really good things. We went into Northwestern a little bit with a concern, because Frank (Clark) had banged up his knee a little bit. We were a little concerned going in to that game, what we would get out of him. We were kind of already there, doing that kind of rotation."
On what it would mean for the team to become bowl eligible ... "One thing about this team, they have been unified, and they have stayed together. They have probably listened to the stuff out there, and at the same time they have done a great job of shutting it off. We have an identity of what kind of team we are. We are not very flashy, we are not going to score a lot of points, we have to play well in the kicking game, and Maryland presents a challenge there with their return game. Defensively, we have to be very good in the red zone and try to create some turnovers. We have done that the last couple of games, but we also need to take care of the football still. We haven't talked about (making a bowl). We talked about a three-game season, and that started with Indiana. The fourth game, the last game on the schedule, you know. If you have any fiber of Michigan in you, you know what that game is. We have focused on these three games and playing the best football we can, playing as a team and out compete and out challenge in everything we do."
On his criteria for second chances ... "I think every situation is different. There are too many hypotheticals out there, to be honest with you, because every one of them is different. Some are bigger than the others. Believe me, there are consequences that guys pay that are not any fun."
On if this has been the most difficult season of his career ... "Externally, for some of the stuff that has come up, maybe. But internally, to watch these guys work every day, like I have said at every press conference, they truly come out and work every day, and they compete. That is rewarding. We do not have an attitude problem here or there, and if they do they call each other out on it. So, that has been really rewarding, and I think that it is part of the leadership guys are giving, at the senior level through the team itself to the younger guys."
On if he has met with the team about Frank Clark ... "No not yet, but I will."
On what he will speak to the team about ... "Well, I think there are a lot of things you want to talk about with them as their coach. (Frank Clark's situation) will obviously be one of them. I have seen some of the older guys already and talked to them about it. We will meet, and we talk about the situation. Will we remind them about behavior and decisions? No question about it."
On how this year has changed him as a coach ... "I think it has been an enjoyable year. Well no, not really. It is what it is. Leadership is supposed to be hard. That is part of what this is. To be honest with you, it is all part of leadership. Look, there are worse things that can happen in this world than going through some tough things from a professional or team standpoint."
On last Wednesday's scrimmage ... "When you look up front, (OL) Logan Tuley-Tillman, I think he is doing a lot of good things. Linebackers wise, Chase Winovich, Jared Wangler, (WR) Jack Wangler, and what I am going to do is not mention a guy, and I'm going to feel bad. Wilton Speight, because quarterbacks were live, which we don't do a lot. He stood in there and threw it and did a nice job. (WR) Da'Mario (Jones), because we played him in it. There were quite a few of them, and I won't get every one of them."
On if he contacted anyone about the Frank Clark situation ... "Well I talked to (interim director of athletics) Jim (Hackett). But my decisions are about how to run the football program. That was my decision."
On dealing with recent arrests ..."You know what, the one thing, and this is not arrogance, is that we cover everything pretty well. I know I was in college once, so I make sure we cover everything."
On RB Derrick Green's status for Saturday's game ... "No, no update yet."
On if he has grown as a coach through the adversity ... "I think so. I think when you have the opportunity to enjoy adversity and keep focused on what really is important, I think that you grow."
