Jim Harbaugh might have tried to distance himself from the mess he created by leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers, but Michigan football isn’t trying to distance itself from a coach who brought the program to a disgraceful national championship last season.
The school is planning to celebrate Harbaugh in a special way for its first home game, which will be against Fresno State on Aug. 31. This will come just weeks after the NCAA decided to crack down on the former Michigan head coach.
Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore face more punishment
Harbaugh and current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore face potential violations related to the sign-stealing scandal involving former staffer Connor Stalions. Moore could be suspended after the NCAA found he deleted more than 50 text messages between him and Stalions.
Harbaugh has denied any involvement in the scandal, but the NCAA doesn’t buy his story. They also don’t think he’s been helpful in telling his side of the story.
Earlier this week, the NCAA slapped Harbaugh with a four-year “show-cause” order in a case unrelated to sign stealing. Harbaugh and Michigan were found to have reportedly conducted impermissible recruiting visits during the COVID-19 dead period.
The scandal was about more than sharing hamburgers with teenagers. Harbaugh and the Michigan program put recruits and their parents in compromising situations and left one parent to deal with the legal bills.
Michigan could face severe ramifications due to the Harbaugh era. One would think the school might wait a few years for the fire to die down before celebrating Harbaugh’s hollow achievement. However, that’s not the case.
Michigan football plans to honor Harbaugh
Per Jared Ramsey with the Detroit Free Press, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said on the 1 star recruits podcast that Harbaugh accepted an invitation to be Michigan’s honorary team captain when they play Fresno State:
“I’m looking forward to seeing him in September,” Manuel said in the wide-ranging interview about his job running Michigan’s athletic department. “He’s going to be an honorary captain for our first game and I look forward to having him back in Ann Arbor for that game.”
Michigan is taking a risk by having Harbaugh around
Frankly, Manuel is putting his trust in a former coach that doesn’t deserve it right now. Per the NCAA’s latest sanctions, Harbaugh has strict restrictions that Michigan must follow for the next four years:
During the show-cause order, Harbaugh would be barred from all athletically related activities, including team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings, at any NCAA school that employed him.
If Harbaugh breaks any of those rules when he visits for the game, the NCAA might throw the book at Michigan.
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