Less than a week after being upset in the College Football Playoff semifinal, Michigan has more bad news incoming.
Multiple sources told Sports Illustrated that Michigan football is under an NCAA investigation and that charges are expected soon. One of the potential rules violations includes a Level I violation on coach Jim Harbaugh after he allegedly didn’t cooperate with investigators, per Yahoo! Sports’s Dan Wetzel.
While the nature of the alleged violations was not divulged (Yahoo! Sports reported that were four Level II violations being investigated), there is no indication that the case involves severe allegations of misconduct. Among the possible paths of resolving the case short of a Committee on Infractions hearing is a negotiated resolution, in which the school and NCAA Enforcement agree on both the violations and their classification (Level I, II, III or IV, with Level I being the most serious). A negotiated resolution would expedite a finalizing of the case.
Whether the investigation has influenced Harbaugh's interest in NFL jobs is not known. But he could be facing sanctions if allegations are upheld—whether he was involved in the violations or not. The NCAA's new strict liability language went into effect this month, which holds that head coaches are responsible for violations within their program regardless of knowledge, involvement, monitoring of staff or promoting an atmosphere of compliance. If Harbaugh is no longer coaching in college, he would not be subject to any potential sanctions. If he is still the coach at Michigan, he could face penalties.
Harbaugh released a statement on Thursday regarding his future at Michigan after rumors swirled of his interest in NFL jobs.
“As I stated in December, while no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023,” Harbaugh said.
In eight seasons, Harbaugh has compiled a 74–25 record. The Wolverines went 13–1 this season and won the Big Ten championship before losing to TCU in the CFP semifinals.
