Jim Harbaugh is no longer coaching college football after leaving Michigan to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers this year, but he was hit with some punishment by the NCAA for recruiting infractions during his time with the Michigan Wolverines.
On Wednesday afternoon, the NCAA announced a four-year show-cause order for Jim Harbaugh for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that the NCAA “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations.”
The show-cause order means that any school wishing to hire Harbaugh between 2024 and 2028 would be required to suspend him for the first full season with the team. After that, Harbaugh would be barred from athletics-related activities, including team travel, practice, video study, recruiting, and team meetings until the order expires.
This ruling comes after the NCAA already put Michigan on three years of probation along with a fine and recruiting limits.
Of course, none of this will impact Harbaugh if he remains in the NFL as the NCAA has no jurisdiction to punish him at the professional level. But if he does decide to return to college football in the next four years, he will face these punishments.
It’s worth noting that these punishments are not related to the current NCAA investigation into the team’s alleged sign-stealing scandal.
[ESPN]
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