The Michigan Wolverines are set to begin their journey to defend their National Championship when they first take the field on August 31st against Fresno State. Ahead of the game, the team decided to backtrack on a previous decision made regarding former head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Harbaugh of course led the Michigan program to their championship this past season, only to depart for the Los Angeles Chargers head coaching gig a few months later.
As of late, Harbaugh has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons following the NCAA’s decision to issue him a four-year “show cause” order, which was related to an investigation into recruiting violations from earlier in his tenure with the program.
It was previously announced that Harbaugh had planned to be in attendance at Michigan’s season opener later this month as an honorary captain for the team. However, the recent controversy involving him has made Harbaugh change his mind.
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore spoke to reporters on Tuesday, revealing that Harbaugh will now not be an honorary captain for the game. Harbaugh reportedly told Moore that in light of the current situation, he wants to “focus on the Chargers”.
The jury is still out on whether Harbaugh or Moore will receive further discipline from their respective governing bodies (NFL and NCAA). But for the time being, it seems like Harbaugh wants nothing to do with the program that he helped build into a champion.