The Michigan sign-stealing scandal from 2023 has returned to the news, thanks to reporting on an NCAA notice of allegations that could result in the suspension of Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh’s successor at Ann Arbor, Sherrone Moore. Harbaugh himself faces a potential Level 1 violation, the highest under the NCAA’s infraction system.
Harbaugh addressed the situation on Monday. He reiterated his past denials of any involvement in or knowledge of the situation.
“Never lie, never cheat, never steal,” Harbaugh said, via Daniel Popper of TheAthletic.com. “I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams that I’ve coached. No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So . . . it’s back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
On one hand, it’s hard to discount Harbaugh’s impassioned denial. He always comes off as earnest and candid and ultimately honest.
On the other hand, it happened on his watch. In his attacking of the day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, he missed something. Something big. He missed character flaws. He missed misconduct.
He was the cobbler who was oblivious to the fact that the elves were stealing shoes.
And so, even if he’s telling the 100-percent truth, it makes him look foolish to have not known what was happening right under his nose.
Now that he’s gone, none of it matters, right? Maybe not. Last year, the NFL’s in-house media conglomerate reported that the NFL might take action against Harbaugh if/when the NCAA does.
It’s not without precedent. The league did it before, both with former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, and with former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor.
So what will the NFL do, if the NCAA does anything to Harbaugh? The easy answer, and the right one, is this: Whatever it wants to do.
And what it wants to do will be influenced in some way by the relationship with college football. Also known as the NFL’s free farm system.
The NFL does plenty of kowtowing to college football, and if it thinks it needs to take action against Harbaugh in order to placate the NCAA, perhaps it will.