Huge Ten bans Harbaugh from sideline amid probe

• Pete Thamel Adam Rittenberg Close Adam Rittenberg ESPN Senior Citizen Author College football press reporter. Signed up with ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.Nov 10,

  2023, 03:44 PM ET The Big

• Ten has actually suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season as the league disciplines the program under its

sportsmanship policy amidst the continuous NCAA investigation into the school’s in-person sign-stealing ring.The choice was revealed Friday afternoon as the third-ranked Wolverines (9-0)head to No. 10 Penn State(8-1)for an important roadway game Saturday.Michigan was discovered to be in infraction of the Huge Ten Sportsmanship Policy for”performing an impermissible, in-person searching operation over numerous years, leading to an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity

of competitors,”the conference stated in a statement.In its report, the Big Ten cited protecting the ability of the group to play out its season, and Harbaugh being the public face of the program as the factors for Harbaugh serving the penalty though the penalty is levied against Michigan.” This is not a sanction of Coach Harbaugh, “the conference said in its report.”It is a sanction versus the University that, under the amazing circumstance provided by this offending conduct, finest fits the infraction.”Harbaugh’s suspension only bans him from the sideline on

game day, as he’s allowed to coach the group the rest of the week.Editor’s Picks 2 Related His status for Michigan’s game versus Penn State could come down to a court ruling. In a declaration, Michigan president Santa Ono

said the school seeks to get a court order” preventing this disciplinary action from working.” Furthermore in the declaration

, Ono expressed his displeasure with

what he deems to have been a rushed process by the Big 10.” Like all members of the Big 10 Conference, we are entitled to a reasonable, intentional, and thoughtful procedure to determine the full set of truths before a judgment is rendered,”

Ono said in the statement. “Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the Conference’s own handbook, breaches fundamental tenets

of due procedure, and sets an illogical precedent of examining penalties before an investigation has been completed. We are puzzled at the Commissioner’s rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA examination– one in which we are completely working together.”The suspension of Harbaugh comes more than 3 weeks after the Big Ten took the rare action of revealing the NCAA investigation into Michigan’s alleged illicit sign-stealing Oct. 19. The league’s timing is available in part because Michigan asked for an extra day for their response to a notice of potential discipline, which came Wednesday afternoon. The action of both the school and Harbaugh was lengthy, which required the Big Ten time to examine and potentially respond.According to sources, the Big Ten on Thursday requested documents from the NCAA that needed Michigan’s approval, which then pressed the final decision back a bit.The Wolverines have 3 regular-season games left against Penn State on Saturday in Pleased Valley, then at Maryland and lastly in the house to face rival Ohio State.The point spread on Saturday’s Michigan-Penn State game was sitting at Wolverines -4.5 at most sportsbooks before Harbaugh’s three-game punishment was announced Friday. The line ticked down to Michigan -4(-115)at ESPN BET after the initial report, but was holding constant at -4.5 at the majority of sportsbooks.

(ESPN BET chances are offered by PENN Home entertainment). The Big 10’s discipline does not conclude the continuous NCAA investigation concerning allegations of off-campus hunting and signal stealing by previous Michigan staffer Connor Stalions.In 1994, the NCAA prohibited off-campus, in-person searching of future challengers during the same season. There has been only one known violation of the policy in significant college football, in November 2016, when then-Baylor assistant Jeff Lebby was suspended for the very first half of a game against Oklahoma after being on the sideline the previous week when Oklahoma dealt with Tulsa.Stalions, a Naval Academy graduate who ended up being a Marine Corps captain before joining Michigan’s staff in 2022, resigned from his position this past Friday after at first being suspended with pay, pending the outcome of

the investigation. Sources informed ESPN that Stalions refused to participate in a meeting with Michigan officials or to comply with the NCAA examination, potentially on the guidance of counsel. In a declaration launched to The Athletic, Stalions ‘attorney Brad Beckworth said that Stalions had no understanding of Harbaugh or other Michigan staff members informing anybody to breach rules regarding off-campus hunting, nor were they familiar with any such activities.”I do not wish to be a diversion from what I want to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on,”Stalions stated in a declaration to The Athletic.On Oct. 18, the NCAA alerted Michigan and the Big 10 that it was investigating claims of off-campus signal-stealing by the Wolverines. The Big 10 at first informed Michigan State and Michigan’s other upcoming challengers from the league, and stated in a declaration it would”continue to keep track of the [NCAA] investigation. “Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a declaration the athletic department would work together totally with the NCAA and stayed “committed to the

highest standards of principles and integrity for all members of our neighborhood.”Harbaugh, in a declaration, said he and his staff also would comply, and that he did”not have any knowledge or information relating to the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment.”After ESPN reported that Stalions had purchased tickets to games at 12 of the 13 other Huge Ten arenas and for games including possible College Football Playoff opponents for Michigan, the Big 10 hinted its involvement would increase through the sportsmanship policy, which provides Petitti the”special authority”to determine violations and propose discipline. A Big Ten source informed ESPN on Oct. 24 that the league might step in before the NCAA’s prolonged investigative and violations procedure finished, but would wish to have”as full of an image of what the realities really are, if we were to act.”The seriousness for Petitti to act increased last week, after ESPN initially reported Oct. 30 that Central Michigan was investigating a man it could not recognize who resembled Stalions and appeared on the team’s sideline dressed in CMU-issued gear for the Sept. 1 opening game at Michigan State. The unidentified man had one of the 50 bench qualifications groups are enabled non-roster personnel.Petitti then held get in touch with successive days with Huge Ten coaches and athletic directors, several of whom voiced their outrage with Michigan– Harbaugh and Manuel were not on the calls at the time– and prompted the commissioner to impose penalty. On Friday, Petitti met Ono, Michigan’s president, on school and outlined the evidence he had about the signal stealing. Ono had actually emailed Petitti the night before their meeting– he shared the letter with other Huge 10 presidents and chancellors– and asked the commissioner to respect due process and the continuous NCAA examination, before penalizing Michigan.The off-campus signal-stealing investigation is the 2nd ongoing NCAA probe including Michigan, which in January was informed of alleged recruiting offenses throughout the COVID-19 dead duration.

In August, Michigan self-imposed a three-game suspension for Harbaugh to start the 2023 season, along with one-game suspensions for offending planner Sherrone Moore and Grant Newsome. The first NCAA investigation of Michigan is expected to be fixed in 2024. Harbaugh, who deals with charges around failing to work together with NCAA investigators, could be charged as a repeat violator under head coach responsibility, a Level I charge.Information from ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren and David Purdum was used in this report.