Michigan drops appeal, Harbaugh will serve full suspension
Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will serve his full three-game suspension after the school settled litigation with the Big Ten Conference, it was announced Thursday.
Harbaugh will sit out the remainder of the regular season, including Saturday’s home finale vs. Maryland and the Nov. 25 showdown with No. 2 Ohio State in Columbus. Harbaugh was suspended last Friday and was not present for the next day’s game at Penn State after the Big Ten office found that at least one former Wolverines staffer engaged in a sign-stealing operation that resulted “in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
Michigan went to court and sought a temporary restraining order to delay Harbaugh’s suspension, which allows him to direct the team during the week in practice and meetings but not be present during games. However, the hearing was not scheduled to take place until this Friday.
Harbaugh traveled with the Wolverines to State College, Pa., for the Penn State game, but was not allowed to be in the stadium after the suspension was announced. With offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore serving as acting head coach, Michigan beat Penn State 24-15 to improve to 10-0 this season and 6-0 in the Big Ten.
As part of the settlement, the Big Ten agreed to close its investigation into Michigan football (though the NCAA continues to look into the matter). The Big Ten also noted that it was unaware of any violations committed by Harbaugh himself.
Here are the full statements by Michigan and the Big Ten office:
“This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh and the Big Ten resolved their pending litigation,” the Michigan statement read. “The Conference agreed to close its investigation and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension. Coach Harbaugh, with the University’s support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field. The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.”
“The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to student-athletes, sportsmanship and the Commissioner’s duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waver,” the Big Ten statement read. “Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference’s November 10th Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold. The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the University and the NCAA during this process.”
It’s the second suspension this season for Harbaugh, who sat out Michigan’s first three games — non-conference wins over East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green — for unrelated NCAA violations. He returned in time for the Sept. 23 Big Ten opener vs. Rutgers.