The day after he was asked to step down as chairman and CEO of General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM), Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Rick Wagoner was a “sacrificial lamb” who left the auto making giant for the good of the company.

“He’s a good man,” Granholm said of Wagoner on NBC’s “Today” show this morning, adding: “He is doing what is good for the future of the company.”  

The White House asked that Wagoner leave GM’s top job, which he held since 2000, after rejecting the company’s plea for more government money. A restructuring plan submitted by GM was also rejected by the Obama administration, which gave the automaker 60 days to submit another plan.

During Wagoner’s tenure, GM’s stock plunged $70 per share to its current level of less than $4 per share.

You can read a statement from Wagoner here.