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This is not going to be a popular opinion among those looking for a scapegoat following Jim Harbaugh’s departure from Michigan football, but it needs to be said. Jim Harbaugh told The Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis that ‘there is no villain’ in Ann Arbor when it comes to his leaving Ann Arbor for the NFL, yet, all the ire has continued to galvanize behind athletic director Warde Manuel. That’s simple, but in my view misguided.
When Harbaugh was hired in December 2014, if you would have told any Michigan football fan that he’d be around for nine years and his tenure would culminate in a national championship, with three straight Big Ten Championships and concurrent wins over rival Ohio State, every single fan of the maize and blue would have taken it and wished him well, regardless of the subsequent staff plunder. You see, this is uncharted territory for the Wolverines — in the modern era of college football, never has a head coach departed of his own accord for another job. Thus, the image of Michigan as a destination job has somewhat been shattered.
But Harbaugh was going to leave — he strongly covets a Super Bowl win, and that’s becoming more evident as the days pass.
Not only did Harbaugh flirt with the NFL for three straight years, he ultimately departed for those same professional ranks. On Sunday, he appeared on CBS Sports and told you exactly why he left:
“I love Michigan, but I love the NFL too,” Harbaugh said. “There’s no Lombardi Trophy in college football.”
No matter what Manuel could have offered Harbaugh, there was no matching that — figuratively, nor literally. You can argue that he could have been more proactive, but it isn’t solely up to the athletic director to meet the terms Harbaugh was asking for when it came to his contractual demands. Those goalposts kept shifting…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/column-ire-michigan-football-staff-190323463.html
Author : Wolverines Wire
Publish date : 2024-01-29 19:03:23
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