A person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press that Coach Jim Harbaugh informed the Michigan football team before Monday’s practice that the organization has self-imposed a three-game suspension on him to start the 2023 season.
University announces Coach Jim Harbaugh will miss the season-opener against East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. (Photo: ESPN)
According to USA Today, while Michigan’s non-conference schedule includes games against East Carolina (Sept. 2), UNLV (Sept. 9), and Bowling Green (Sept. 16), Coach Jim Harbaugh, 59, will be back for the Big Ten schedule, which gets underway the following week at home against Rutgers (Sept. 23).
According to reports, coach Jim Harbaugh will be disciplined by the NCAA for possibly misleading NCAA investigators and violating recruiting laws.
After the Wolverines received a draft notice of allegations in January, reports in July claimed that Michigan and the NCAA had reached an agreement on a four-game suspension.
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As a result, coach Jim Harbaugh is free to coach this season but is facing a future hearing and possibly a harsher punishment. That deal fell through in the early hours of August.
According to the the article publsihed by boston25news, “While the ongoing NCAA matter continues through the NCAA process, today’s announcement is our way of addressing mistakes that our department has agreed to in an attempt to further that process,” Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel said in a release on Monday.
Coach Jim Harbaugh, his staff, and our outstanding student-athletes will continue to have our support. We are unable to comment further until the matter is resolved in accordance with NCAA regulations.
In a statement issued by the school, coach Jim Harbaugh’s response to the suspension was brief: “I will continue to do what I always do and what I always tell our players and my kids at home, ‘Don’t get bitter, get better.’”
This is seen as Michigan’s attempt to appease the NCAA in the hopes of avoiding further sanctions in the future, though it is unclear whether coach Jim Harbaugh was informed of Michigan’s decision or whether he participated in a collaborative process.
