OAN’s James Meyers
2:15 PM – Friday, November 10, 2023
Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended for the rest of the 2023 regular season.
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The Big Ten conference announced on Friday, that Harbaugh will be suspended from the sidelines, claiming the program conducted “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
“As a penalty imposed on the institution, the University football team must compete without its Head Football Coach for the games remaining in the 2023 regular-season, effective immediately,” the Big Ten said in a release. “This disciplinary action shall not preclude the University or its football team from having its Head Football Coach attend practices or other football team activities other than the game activities to which it applies. For clarity, the Head Football Coach shall not be present at the game venue on the dates of the games to which this disciplinary action applies.”
The ruling was announced as Harbaugh and the team were en route to their game at Pennsylvania State University.
However, Harbaugh will still be allowed to coach practices and run team activities.
The ruling comes after Michigan has been under investigation for alleged sign-stealing in a scheme run by ex-staffer Connor Stalions. Stalions would attend Michigan’s upcoming opponents games and record the team’s hand signals.
After the NCAA notified Michigan of its investigation, Harbaugh denied any knowledge or involvement in the alleged sign-stealing.
“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding 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,” Harbaugh in a statement. “I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.”
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