The Univ. of Michigan confirmed that a few months ago, it hired PR firm Edelman to help it "with the issues that led" to the resignation of AD Dave Brandon and firing of football coach Brady Hoke, according to David Jesse of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Edelman, which worked with Penn State "on the Jerry Sandusky scandal," is one of the world's largest PR firms and had "been helping U-M manage its communications to the public and media" following QB Shane Morris' return to a September game in which he sustained a concussion. UM Public Affairs Dir Rick Fitzgerald: "We engaged Edelman to provide just that type of external perspective following the football-concussion incident. There is no ongoing work at this time." Fitzgerald "did not specify exactly what work Edelman did" for UM. Edelman also "is working" with UNC, whose athletic department "is mired in an academic scandal" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/11). MLIVE.com's Nick Baumgardner reported all of Edelman's work was "handled on an hourly basis through Michigan's office of global communications, and fees are set to not exceed $75,000 over the next year" (MLIVE.com, 12/10).
