The Michigan Wolverines were unable to stop head coach Jim Harbaugh from leaving to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, despite giving in to his numerous demands at the last minute.
Harbaugh, who led the Wolverines to a 15-0 season and a national championship in 2023, was already in the final stages of contract talks with the Chargers when the Wolverines gave in to the demands Harbaugh and his lawyers outlined.
Harbaugh said in an article from the Detroit News that he still has love for the Wolverines.
“My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact,” Harbaugh said in a statement on the Chargers website. “I’ll always be a loyal Wolverine. I’m remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me.
“From working as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, and time as an assistant with the Raiders, to being a head coach at USD, Stanford, the 49ers and Michigan — each of those opportunities carried significance, each felt personal. When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it’s great to see that those things haven’t changed.”
One of the major stipulations Jim Harbaugh had for the Michigan Wolverines was immunity from NCAA sanctions
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is under investigation from the NCAA for multiple violations. The most prominent violation involves sign-stealing allegations, a violation for which Harbaugh already served a three-game suspension.
The suspension served came from the Big Ten, which means the NCAA has not yet doled out the punishments they see fit for Harbaugh. Harbaugh claimed he and the Wolverines were innocent after winning the national championship game.
Jim Harbaugh regarding cheating scandal: We’re Innocent pic.twitter.com/dxNuI733nA
— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) January 9, 2024
Harbaugh is also under investigation for a recruiting violation committed during the COVID year. Harbaugh served a self-imposed three game suspension at the beginning of the season, but the NCAA is yet to dole out their punishments for this as well.
Harbaugh sought immunity from the potential punishments in his new contract with the Wolverines. Michigan wouldn’t budge on the issue, until it was to late. In the aforementioned Detroit News article, Michigan Reagent Sarah Hubbard explained they gave Harbaugh everything they could at the end.
“We put so much support on the table and did everything we could,” Hubbard said. “But at the end of the day, we can’t give him a Super Bowl ring. I hope he goes out and wins one and make us proud.”
Michigan gave Harbaugh the immunity at the end, and according to the Detroit News they “caved.” The stipulation specifically stated that Harbaugh could not be fired for any Level I or Level II sanctions he might face as a result of these investigations.
Michigan Wolverines fans are sad to see Jim Harbaugh go, but they are happy for what he did for the program
While Michigan Wolverines fans would love to keep their national championship-winning head coach at the helm for a little bit longer, they are still happy for what Harbaugh did for the program.
Michigan was experiencing some down years after the departure of legendary head coach Lloyd Carr. The Wolverines hired Rich Rodriguez, who won 15 games from 2008-2010, which was the same amount of games Harbaugh won in the 2023 season.
They followed that hire with Brady Hoke, who was the head coach of the Wolverines from 2011 to 2014. Hoke went 31-20 with a 5-7 record during his last season. Harbaugh took time to reach the peak of college football as he was hired in 2015, but he did start out with two 10-win seasons.
When it’s all said and done, a lot of Michigan fans will be rooting for Harbaugh in the NFL. There are also some fans that are happy to have some closure after Harbaugh has flirted with leaving for the last few years.
Jim Harbaugh did what he came to Michigan to do. National titles don’t grow on trees.
Rival fanbases talking trash don’t matter. The Michigan wolverines are National Champions and 3 time defending Big Ten champions. That’s the ultimate scoreboard.— Dez Walker (@Dez_Walker) January 25, 2024
Farewell my sweet prince
— JWB (@jwb___) January 24, 2024
thanks for the natty bud, good luck!
— jacobriley_filmmaker (@JRileyFilmmaker) January 24, 2024
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