Jim Harbaugh penalized by NCAA for ‘unethical conduct’ at Michigan during COVID-19

The NCAA issued a four-year show-cause order against Jim Harbaugh, the former Michigan coach, after finding numerous rule violations.

“A Division I Committee on Infractions panel determined former Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh violated recruiting and inducement rules, engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance, and violated head coach responsibility obligations,” the NCAA said in its statement on Wednesday.

The violations surround prohibited contact with recruits and players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Moreover, the school admitted that it failed to monitor the football program.

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“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,” the NCAA said.

On April 16, the organization resolved the issue with “Michigan and five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program.”

However, Harbaugh, 60, was supposedly not included in the agreement, meaning his case had to be handled separately.

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The show-cause spans through August 6, 2028, and demands that Harbaugh is suspended for the first full season if hired by any NCAA university.

Additionally, he would be denied access to athletics-related activities, including team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings.

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Harbaugh eschewed Michigan and college athletics in January, signing a five-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.

“The way I see it, from Coach Harbaugh’s perspective, today’s COl decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you’ve been suspended because you didn’t sign the yearbook,” Harbaugh’s lawyer, Tom Mars, wrote on X.

“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 the federal antitrust laws.”

This case is separate from Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal involving former athletic department staffer Connor Stalions.

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