An NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions panel has determined former Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh violated rules and engaged in unethical conduct, resulting in a four-year show-cause order.
Specifically, a statement from the organization Wednesday declared that Harbaugh violated recruiting and inducement rules, engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations during his tenure with the Michigan program. Harbaugh, who led the Wolverines to the 2023 National Championship, is currently the head coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers.
"Michigan and five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program earlier reached agreement with NCAA enforcement staff on violations concerning recruiting and coaching activities by non-coaching staff members that occurred within the football program," the NCAA statement read. "The school also agreed that it failed to monitor the football program."
The committee issued a statement April 16 confirming resolution of the case for the school and the participating individuals. The committee's bifurcation of the case permitted those parties to immediately begin serving their penalties while awaiting the committee's final decision on the remaining contested portion of the case.
Harbaugh was not part of that agreement, so his case was resolved separately. Moreover, these violations are independent of those associated with Michigan's ongoing scandal involving alleged sign-stealing.
Related: Unapologetic Harbaugh Responds to Latest Developments in Sign-Stealing Saga
On Wednesday, the committee issued its decision resolving that portion of the case. The underlying violations in this case are centered around impermissible recruiting contacts and inducements during the COVID-19 dead period. Throughout the investigation, Harbaugh denied his involvement in the violations, which were overwhelmingly supported by the record. Harbaugh also refused to participate in a hearing before the committee. Harbaugh's violations of the COVID-19 recruiting dead period are Level II violations, but his unethical conduct and failure to cooperate with the membership's infractions process — specifically, his provision of false or misleading information — is a Level I violation, the NCAA stated.
Head coaches are presumed responsible for violations that occur within their programs. Due to Harbaugh's personal involvement in the violations and his failure to monitor his staff, he could not rebut that presumption, resulting in a violation of head coach responsibility rules.
The panel noted that Harbaugh's intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct amplified the severity of the case and prompted the panel to classify Harbaugh's case as Level I-Aggravated, with penalties to include a four-year show-cause order. Subsumed in the show-cause order is a one-season suspension for Harbaugh.
During the show-cause order, Harbaugh would be barred from all athletically related activities, including team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings, at any NCAA school that employed him. Additionally, if hired during the show-cause order, Harbaugh would be suspended for 100 percent of the first season of employment. The results of those contests during Harbaugh's suspension would not count toward his career coaching record.
At the very least, these penalties would appear to disincentivize NCAA member institutions from hiring Harbaugh should his return to the NFL prove unsuccessful.
"The way I see it, from Coach Harbaugh's perspective, today's COI decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you've been suspended because you didn't sign your yearbook," Harbaugh attorney Tom Mars posted on social media, as reported by Sports Illustrated. "If I were in Coach Harbaugh's shoes and had an $80 million contract as head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn't pay any attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation's most flagrant, repeat violator of federal antitrust laws."
As reported by ESPN, Warde Manuel, the recently named national athletic director of the year, added, "Our staff has worked to improve processes and we are focused on the future and our commitment to integrity and compliance."
