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Former Michigan DB critical of Jim Harbaugh’s decision to move on from Don Brown: ‘I think it was unfair’
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Count Ambry Thomas among those who aren’t happy about Michigan firing Don Brown.
The former Michigan cornerback, who opted out of the 2020 season, was not happy about Brown being essentially a sacrificial lamb for the Wolverines. Thomas is heading for the NFL Draft and will participate in the upcoming Senior Bowl.
Michigan underwhelmed this season with a 2-4 season that got head coach Jim Harbaugh an extension and saw Brown bounced from the team.
“Can I be totally real with you? I do think it was unfair to get rid of him,” Thomas said according to The Spun when asked about Brown.
“This year the team had to deal with COVID-19. If our full team was there – we had a pretty good defense prior to the pandemic. You had me and Nico [Collins] opt out, Kwity [Paye] missed games, and Aidan [Hutchinson] got hurt.
“Key pieces to the defense were missing, so I don’t think it was right to get rid of him. I love coach Brown. Honestly, I feel like everyone in that building should’ve got another year just because of the circumstances.”
Brown has been defensive coordinator in Ann Arbor since 2016. He has now joined the coaching staff at Arizona.
This past season, the Wolverines allowed 34.5 points per game, third-worst in the Big Ten.
The absence of Thomas doesn’t explain all the struggles of the Michigan defense but he was a big part of the unit in 2019. As a junior, Thomas had 38 tackles, three interceptions, three passes defended and two fumble recoveries.