Michigan football looks shameless by honoring Jim Harbaugh after NCAA punishment

More than 2,000 miles away from Schembechler Hall, Jim Harbaugh stood defiant.

“I do not apologize,” the former Michigan football coach huffed earlier this week at the headquarters of the Los Angeles Chargers, the NFL franchise he now leads.

The emphatic statement followed a question about the recent leak of the NCAA’s draft notice of allegations detailing a slew of major violations he and other staffers were accused of committing in connection with the sign-stealing scandal that engulfed the Wolverines during their run to the national championship last fall.

Harbaugh’s response wasn’t surprising to anyone who has followed him.

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to athletic director Warde Manuel during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.

But it was shameless, considering that just seconds before, he continued to try to paint himself as some rule-abiding paragon of righteousness.

“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson,” he told reporters.

Two days later, the NCAA hit Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause order that includes a one-year suspension after completing a different investigation into recruiting transgressions committed by Michigan during the COVID-19 dead period.  The Committee on Infractions determined Harbaugh “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations.”

In the 48-page report, the NCAA portrayed Harbaugh as uncooperative and dishonest after he denied meeting prospects in person despite a mountain of evidence – receipts, expense reports, testimony of the attendees and even his own subordinates – that showed otherwise. Harbaugh’s obstinance during that probe is a big reason why Michigan was forced to resolve the…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/michigan-football-looks-shameless-honoring-100728751.html

Author : Detroit Free Press

Publish date : 2024-08-10 10:07:28

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