Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock.com
Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock.com
Another shoe has dropped in the Michigan scandal. Which one? Well, it involves former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh and some hamburgers.
Yes, you read that right.
Harbaugh, now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, received a four-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA. This penalty runs through August 2028 for “unethical conduct and recruiting violations.”
This stems from Harbaugh’s refusal to cooperate over alleged burger suspensions during a COVID dead period. He was suspended for the first three games last season. Later, he was suspended for the final three games due to Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing ways.
As more details emerge from the NCAA’s investigation into Stalions’ case, it’s clear Harbaugh planned his exit strategy. Unfortunately, Sherrone Moore is left holding the bag while Harbaugh, his defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, and his son Jay Harbaugh moved to the NFL.
Show-cause penalties are becoming more common in college athletics nowadays.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>The NCAA has punished Jim Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause penalty thru August, 2028 for unethical conduct and recruiting violations…. Harbaugh is now coaching the Chargers and probably wasn't coming back to college after leading UM to the national title.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href=”https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/1821218199322685952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
This punishment is better than vacating wins or championships already decided.
Even without the Stalions incident, Harbaugh might have left anyway.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>This punishment is related to the NCAA investigation of violations stemming from the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, and isn't about the alleged signal stealing investigation.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) <a href=”https://twitter.com/BruceFeldmanCFB/status/1821219048216236229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>August 7, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
If the NCAA wants its power back, it must make examples of coaches like Harbaugh who think they’re above the rules. If he were more likable, maybe the Big Ten wouldn’t have turned on him so quickly.
Regardless, we can safely say that Harbaugh will never coach another college football game. “This is the punishment we were wanting.”
Even if many players from last year’s team remain in Ann Arbor, punishing them isn’t fair. No bowl bans or postseason punishments for them. This adds another layer to understanding Jim Harbaugh’s career. Great quarterback? Sure. But undeniably a great head coach despite scandals.
The NCAA aims to rid itself of routinely dishonest coaches. If your school wants you out, you’re done. Why Bobby Petrino still gets a pass remains a mystery, but at least Harbaugh’s corner-cutting days in college football are over. In the NFL? They’ll catch on fast.
For now, we wait patiently to see what unfolds from Michigan’s other scandal.
