In an age of hyperawareness about head injuries, concussions and brain trauma, there is nothing harder to watch in football than a head-to-head collision between two players.

That’s exactly what hundreds of thousands of fans witnessed Saturday when Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg came crashing into the helmet of sophomore cornerback Matthew Harris. The collision stunned Harris immediately and left him motionless on the turf.

Thankfully, after a few breathless minutes, Harris gave a thumbs-up to the crowd as he was carted off the field. It was later revealed that he was immediately taken to a hospital where he passed a full battery of tests to ensure his well-being.

A relieved coach Pat Fitzgerald announced to media after the game that Harris would travel home with the team.

It was a painful, yet ultimately inconsequential reminder of how dangerous a violent sport like football can be. Harris took a vicious hit but had the full support of a coaching and medical staff behind him to make sure he was alright.

Hours away in Ann Arbor, Michigan, there was a much more jarring case of what can happen when head injuries aren’t handled with the requisite care.

Facing off against Minnesota, Michigan quarterback Shane Morris took a shot to the front of his helmet late in the fourth quarter. The Golden Gophers defender responsible for the hit was penalized for roughing the passer, and Morris was visibly shaken up and having difficulty standing. Despite his offensive lineman holding him up and his tight end signaling for a trainer or a backup, Morris stayed in the game.

Wolverines coach Brady Hoke is responsible for the health and safety of his players. He needs to know if one of them takes a potentially dangerous hit to the head. Yet after the game, he claimed to have no knowledge of the incident and said that Morris simply aggravated an ankle injury.

Either Hoke somehow didn’t see the play or lied about seeing the play to cover up his actions. The athletic department has supported Hoke by failing to take the appropriate action of immediately firing him.

The blatant incompetence has been so bad that on Tuesday Michigan President Mark S. Schlissel released his own statement condemning the performance of the athletic department in handling the situation.

Such a tragedy of errors (I dare not call it a comedy) puts the game of football in perspective. We, fans and journalists alike, level plenty of criticism against the Northwestern football team, some of it more warranted than others.

But regardless of what the on-field result has been or will be, Saturday’s handling of Harris shows everything that is right about the Wildcats program. A starting player went down under scary circumstances and was immediately taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons, only to have no lasting symptoms.

Fitzgerald made the right decision in the moment and Hoke made the wrong one (or just failed at his job completely). That assessment has nothing to do with the on-field result for either team because when it comes to taking care of players, stats are for losers.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @BobbyPillote