ESPN‘s Paul Finebaum didn’t mince words on what he thought of Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh’s comments on Tuesday regarding his involvement in the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
Harbaugh and Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore face potential punishment for Level 1 violations related to the scandal as the NCAA continues investigating. Moore could be suspended, and the NFL reserves the right to punish Harbaugh if the NCAA determines cause to punish the Chargers head coach.
Los Angeles Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh continues to deny
On Tuesday, Harbaugh was asked about what he knew about the sign-stealing scandal following an update on the investigation that ESPN’s Pete Thamel published on Sunday. Harbaugh denied any involvement in the scandal:
“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams I’ve coached,” Harbaugh said.
“No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate. I was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So for me, it’s back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
Paul Finebaum doesn’t believe Harbaugh
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Finebaum doesn’t buy Harbaugh’s denial. During an appearance on” Get Up”, Finebaum told host Michael Greenberg that Harbaugh’s answer was that of a conman.
“It’s an Oscar-winning performance,” Finebaum said. “I had a lot of different emotions. I mean, I wanted to throw all kinds of adjectives up on the board. I wanted to label him as a pathological liar, as someone who was delusional, but I can’t do it anymore. Because I think he, in many ways, is the Jack Nicholson of coaching. He’s a man for all seasons.”
Finebaum said Harbaugh is a hard character to dislike, and his victory in January’s national championship lends him credibility to the public.
Finebaum thinks Harbaugh pulled off a “scam” at Michigan
However, Finebaum ultimately thinks Harbaugh will get away with a “scam” he helped to produce.
“Yeah, he left a stench behind, but as we have said, it will get cleaned up with very little penalty,” Finebaum said. “He’s making a fortune with the Chargers, and I’m gonna bow to the feet of Jim Harbaugh for pulling off this scam and then acting like he didn’t do anything wrong.”
The NCAA can make Michigan vacate the title, but Harbaugh will still be remembered for winning it in the minds of football fans. The NFL can suspend Harbaugh if the NCAA levies a “show-cause” restriction against him at the conclusion of its investigation.
But that penalty won’t matter much if he wins with the Chargers and keeps ownership happy.
Now a death penalty to the Michigan program on the other hand…
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