Jim Harbaugh receives self-imposed suspension from Michigan in surprise twist
Jim Harbaugh reportedly will miss Michigan’s first three games.
nypost.com
By Ryan Glasspiegel
Jim Harbaugh will have a suspension to start this season after all.
The University of Michigan is self-imposing a three-game suspension for its head coach over past NCAA infractions, according to reports from On3 and Rivals.
There had been a previous agreement that Harbaugh was to accept a four-game suspension to begin the season that ultimately fell through.
The NCAA has claimed that Harbaugh had “impermissible” interactions with recruits when coaches were not supposed to be in contact during COVID-19 regulations, and sought to dispel the idea that Harbaugh is being punished over improperly buying a cheeseburger for a recruit.
“The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities — not a cheeseburger,” NCAA vice president of hearing operations Derrick Crawford said in a statement.
“It is not uncommon for the COI [committee of infractions] to seek clarification on key facts prior to accepting.
“The COI may also reject a [negotiated resolution] if it determines that the agreement is not in the best interests of the Association or the penalties are not reasonable. If the involved parties cannot resolve a case through the negotiated resolution process, it may proceed to a hearing, but the committee believes cooperation is the best avenue to quickly resolve issues.”
The three-game suspension will sideline Harbaugh for home games against East Carolina on Sept. 2, UNLV on Sept. 9 and Bowling Green on Sept. 16.
Harbaugh would return for a home game Sept. 23 against Rutgers.
It is still possible the NCAA could decide to impose further discipline next year after this all gets sorted out.
When the four-game suspension agreement fell through, it immediately sparked speculation that Harbaugh could leap back to the NFL after coaching a highly-touted Wolverines team this season.
Michigan enters the season ranked second in the Associated Press poll and is looking to reach the College Football Playoff for the third straight season.
A Nov. 11 road game against No. 7 Penn State and the regular season finale against No. 3 Ohio State in Ann Arbor figure to be the Wolverines’ toughest tests.
