Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is no longer coaching college football as he now serves as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. But if he decides to come back to the college level, he will face some severe punishment.
On Wednesday afternoon, the NCAA announced a four-year show-cause penalty for Jim Harbaugh for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NCAA said that Harbaugh “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations.”
The NCAA also made it clear that they took exception to Harbaugh’s unwillingness to cooperate during investigations.
“The panel noted that Harbaugh’s intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct amplified the severity of the case and prompted the panel to classify Harbaugh’s case as Level I-Aggravated, with penalties to include a four-year show-cause order. Subsumed in the show-cause order is a one-season suspension for Harbaugh,” the NCAA said according to ESPN.
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.
Needless this is a pretty significant punishment and it led to a lot of reactions on social media.
It is awesome the NCAA got tough and dropped the hammer on a coach who no longer works in college football.
Well done by everyone over there. https://t.co/2e9xnT6Y3H
— Walker Carey (@walkerRcarey) August 7, 2024
He was never coming back.. which is why the gaslighting of such (along with poaching high performing staff members and the overall timing / making it harder for the possibility of a coaching search *Deboer* *Leipold*) is what irks me far more than Jim leaving himself.. https://t.co/oZPgGPwzns
— Rohan Kamat (@rohan_k101) August 7, 2024
And everyone was wondering why Jimbo couldn’t get out of Ann Arbor fast enough after winning the natty. Clearly this was the reason. https://t.co/atpNwAKVi4
— WrigleyvilleUte (@jhallito) August 7, 2024
This is dumb. He isn't coaching in college again. This is just showing how mad the NCAA is for Harbaugh ignoring an organization that has no real power over College Football anymore. https://t.co/H6RLPaToHj
— TexasEd (@EdSmith7133) August 7, 2024
Harbaugh ran from this mess!! What a coward! Y’all like to clown athletes for transferring but Harbaugh did just that to get away from his penalties!! This is still not the sign stealing case which could bring more! https://t.co/QiWmmxDC7H
— Marco Martinez (@marco_mart1205) August 7, 2024
The Harbaughs are liars. Jim even cheated when he was a player and got suspended for PEDs https://t.co/cPaTqAjS3Q
— Thirst Round Pick MD (@ThirstRoundPick) August 7, 2024
Obviously, Harbaugh would avoid this punishment if he were to remain in the NFL. It’s also worth noting that this is unrelated to the alleged illegal sign-stealing scandal Michigan is currently facing.
[ESPN]
