MICHIGAN HEAD COACH JIM HARBAUGH SUSPENDED FOR THE NEXT THREE REGULAR SEASON GAMES BY THE BIG TEN
After weeks of speculation and plenty of unanswered questions, we finally have some disciplinary action on Michigan’s “Spygate” scandal that has been a major topic in college football across the country.
The Big Ten suspended Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the rest of the regular season for violations of the conference’s sportsmanship policy less than 24 hours before the Wolverines kick off against conference rivals Penn State on the road.
In a statement released on Friday, the Conference said, “… The University of Michigan has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
“[The] Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01 states in part that: “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.””
The conference suspended Harbaugh for the remaining three regular season games, effective immediately, but stopped short of preventing the 59-year-old from attending practices or other football team activities other than game day activities. Harbaugh will also not be allowed at the game venue on the dates of the games to which the disciplinary action applies.
Michigan players were aboard an airplane to Pennsylvania when the news came out and took to social media to post a unified message following the suspension of their head coach. Starting quarterback, JJ McCarthy alongside defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, right guard Zak Zinter, and defensive back Mike Sainristil reacted to the announcement with a simple “Bet” post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The message, which is slang to mean “agreement” is confirmation of what the players have said over the past few weeks that they are ignoring the outside noise and focused on winning games. The team’s message was also echoed by former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady, who also went on to write “Bet” on social media.
The Michigan Wolverines also wore “Michigan vs. Everybody” shirts while boarding their plane to Penn State on Friday, while Michigan men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard posted “Michigan vs. Everybody” with the hashtag #isupportCoachHarbaugh.
While the suspension was without question a bold move by Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, it also left many people torn on the outcome. Harbaugh and Michigan filed for a temporary restraining order on Friday night in Washtenaw County’s 22nd Circuit Court in an effort to block the Big Ten’s decision but it still remains unclear how soon the court will act.
It also remains factual that half of the football fraternity were in support of the three-game suspension, citing that it doesn’t exactly bear the detrimental burden of docking points scored, forfeiture of wins, or suspending the entire football program for the rest of the season, while the other half begged to differ. The disciplinary decision by the Big Ten definitely seems rushed and premature, especially considering the NCAA’s investigation over the alleged impermissible in-person scouting is still incomplete.
The Big Ten also handed out the suspension without gathering any evidence that Harbaugh was involved in the scandal and appeared to make a decision due to pressure from within and outside the conference to make a ruling before the NCAA does.
In a statement released Friday evening, Michigan said, “Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered. Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the Conference’s own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed. We are dismayed at the Commissioner’s rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation – one in which we are fully cooperating.”
“Commissioner Petitti’s hasty action today suggests that this is more about reacting to pressure from other Conference members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and impartially. By taking this action at this hour, the Commissioner is personally inserting himself onto the sidelines and altering the level playing field that he is claiming to preserve. And, doing so on Veterans Day – a court holiday – to try to thwart the University from seeking immediate judicial relief is hardly a profile in impartiality.”
Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing scheme with former analytics assistant Connor Stalions being front and center of the investigation by the NCAA. Stalions allegedly bought tickets to more than 30 college football games involving future Michigan opponents and sent associates of his to record the sidelines in an effort to decode their signals.
Michigan head coach, Jim Harbaugh, was also suspended for the first three games this season by the NCAA due to a Level I violation committed by him in an investigation on recruitment by his coaching staff during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Harbaugh apparently lied to investigators about the things he was alleged to do during the recruitment.
The team has, however, remained unfazed this season, beating every team in their path on the way to an impressive 21 straight conference game wins. Michigan has also won every game this season by at least 24 points heading into Saturday’s clash against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Valley.
As first reported by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg on Saturday morning, Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will serve as the team’s acting head coach if Jim Harbaugh’s motion for a temporary restraining order is not granted before kickoff on Saturday.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Maize & Blue Nation. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.