Source: Michigan’s Harbaugh dealing with 4-game ban

Pete Thamel, ESPNJul 25, 2023, 01:26 PM ET Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and the NCAA remain in discussions about a so-called negotiated resolution for a four-game suspension in the 2023 season, sources validated to ESPN on Tuesday.The looming suspension is connected to an NCAA recruiting examination into Michigan in which Harbaugh faces a Level I offense, the most severe kind in the NCAA’s purview, for not cooperating with NCAA enforcement.While the suspension and settlements with the NCAA have actually not been finalized, the expectation is that Harbaugh would miss the first 4 games of Michigan’s season. That includes four house contests in which Michigan is the expensive favorite– East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green and Rutgers.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated Harbaugh’s lawyer, Thomas Mars, said in a declaration:”We are continuing to work cooperatively with the NCAA

staff on an

enforcement matter. At this time, we are not allowed to talk about possible charges or other elements of the matter.””We are continuing to work cooperatively with the NCAA staff on an enforcement matter,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel included a statement Tuesday.”At this time, we can not comment even more on any aspect of the matter.” The alleged recruiting improprieties are connected to alleged infractions that took place throughout the COVID-19 recruiting dead period. The initial examination into Michigan consisted of

just 4 Level II violations, which are less substantial in scope. But the failure to comply emerged throughout the investigation, and in January, there were multiple meetings between Harbaugh and the NCAA in which he refused to confess he lied during the investigation.According to a source, Harbaugh still has actually not acknowledged specifically that he deceived or lied to NCAA personnel investigating the matter. But the negotiated resolution shows that he did accept obligation for hiring infractions in the case.Yahoo Sports first reported Harbaugh’s most likely suspension Tuesday and noted it could take up to a few weeks for the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions to complete the penalty.The method NCAA guidelines are currently written, a four-game suspension for

a head coach would mean that the coach could not be present”in the facility where the contests are played and have no contact or interaction with football coaching team member or student-athletes throughout the

suspension period.” Per the NCAA’s current Tennessee judgment, that includes” all coaching activities for the period of time that begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day of each contest and ends at 11:59 p.m. on those days.”According to the NCAA– which provided a general analysis of the rules as it can not comment specifically on Harbaugh or any ongoing examination– this suggests that a suspended coach such as Harbaugh would have the ability to coach practice throughout the week throughout the four-game suspension but would not be allowed the arena or to have any contact on game days.The possible seriousness of the suspension makes it clear that Harbaugh’s actions throughout the examination substantially increased the intensity of the potential penalty from the initial examination. And the innovative worked out resolution conversations are an indication Harbaugh is seeking to put the mess behind him while being

anticipated to admit some level of responsibility in the matter.The scope of the examination and penalties isn’t limited to Harbaugh within the Michigan program. Sources verified that two existing Michigan assistant coaches, offensive planner Sherrone Moore and tight ends coach Grant Newsome, are both anticipated to be approved in the investigation. Sources suggested to ESPN that those will be significantly lower in scope than Harbaugh’s anticipated four-game penalty.Yahoo likewise reported that former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, now with the Baltimore Ravens, is expected to get an one-year show-cause penalty. Macdonald’s status as an existing NFL coach makes the punishment basically irrelevant.The news comes in the middle of a boom time for Michigan football, as it reached the College Football Playoff in successive seasons.

Michigan entered Big 10 media days today with the expectation that it’ll have its finest lineup out of the previous three seasons, as it returns star quarterback J.J. McCarthy, tailback Blake Corum and a defense that’s considered among the elite in the country.The past 2 seasons have been a

college renaissance for Harbaugh, who brought the program back from a 2-4 record during the COVID-19-shortened season in 2020 and in 2021 snapped an eight-game losing streak to archrival Ohio State. Michigan has lost to Georgia and TCU in the semifinals of the past 2 College Football Playoffs.Harbaugh has actually flirted strongly with NFL jobs the previous two seasons, having substantial discussions with both the Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings over that time.Harbaugh is 74-25 during his period at Michigan, including going 25-3 total and 17-1 in Big Ten play over the previous two years. Harbaugh went 44-19 as coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, which included a Super Bowl look and 3 NFC title game appearances.