Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended Friday by the Big Ten. He will not be allowed to coach on the sidelines on game day for the remaining three regular-season contests.
The ban is the result of the sign-stealing scandal.
The statement from the conference:
The Big Ten Conference announced today that the University of Michigan has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.
Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01 states in part that “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.”
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. 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.
Harbaugh will miss Saturday’s Top 10 battle at Penn State, a Nov. 18 at Maryland, and the annual rivalry game vs. Ohio State on Nov. 25. That game will be played in Ann Arbor.
Big Ten suspends Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh from coaching in games for rest of regular season. B1G found UM conducted an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) November 10, 2023
This is the second suspension for Harbaugh in 2023. The first one took place over the first three games of the season. That ban did not come from the NCAA. It was self-imposed by the university amid complaints of a recruiting violation and subsequent failure to cooperate with an NCAA investigation.
Michigan is going to fight the ban:
Michigan statement. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/OMahtJvZqj
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 10, 2023
Michigan statement 2/2 pic.twitter.com/BS1SzDS1bW
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) November 10, 2023
How has Michigan done recently?
Through 2020, Jim Harbaugh and Michigan had won 69% of their games, but were 0-5 against Ohio State with 0 CFP appearances.
Since then, they’ve lost a total of 3 games, are 2-0 against Ohio State, and reached the CFP both seasons as Big Ten champions. pic.twitter.com/39VXZBZu9R
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 10, 2023
