UM CMO Resigns After Comments On Brand As More Important Than Players

By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak

CBS DETROIT - Hunter Lochmann, chief marketing officer of the Michigan athletic department, resigned Wednesday, less than a week after making comments at the IMG Intercollegiate Athletics Forum that upset many fans and at least one former player.

Reportedly responding to a question about providing stipends to student-athletes, Lochmann intimated the brand matters more than individual players.

"The athletes are there for four years," Lochmann said, according to the Sports Business Journal, which has since removed that quote from its story. "At Michigan, it's the block M that has the infinity and power, not Denard Robinson. Those are fleeting, four-year relationships, but it's the block M that's been there for over 150 years."

Former Michigan guard Steve Hutchinson reacted on social media.

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon also resigned this year.