By Kyle Golik
When news broke that former Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh would serve as honorary captain for the Wolverines to open the 2024 season against Fresno State, it seemed to galvanize the Michigan base. After the ESPN leak of the draft of the potential Notice of Allegations and how the NCAA has punished Harbaugh for his behavior during the COVID-19 dead period, it was welcomed news for a Michigan base just having the presence of Harbaugh on their field to proverbially swing back against their enemies, something Harbaugh always preached in his nine seasons (2015-2023) in Ann Arbor, saying it was “us against the world” mentality.
That moment that the Michigan faithful were hoping for with Harbaugh’s presence will have to wait, as current head coach Sherrone Moore announced Harbaugh will not be there for the Wolverines as honorary captain on August 31, “Yesterday, he called me, told me that he didn’t feel that he could leave his team, in true coach Harbaugh fashion, and wanted to be in the foxhole with his team and not want to make it look like he was taking a deep long bow,” Moore said. “So he’s not going to make it for the game.”
While it seems to be another gut punch for the “Michigan Man,” let’s explore the pros and cons of Harbaugh’s decision to not appear as honorary captain for Michigan.
Pros
The Michigan program has to begin to cleanse itself from the Harbaugh era, especially with the flippant behavior his staff demonstrated during his tenure. I outline much of this in my recent column about the proverbial line being non-existent, it doesn’t need to be repeated here.
Ultimately, what Michigan did during the Connor Stalions espionage hasn’t been levied by the NCAA, and Michigan can display some contrition and goodwill as the Committee on Infractions (COI) reviews everything on it. Having Harbaugh on the field would show an arrogance against the NCAA that Michigan is bigger than it all.
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Harbaugh’s presence would not only be a distraction to himself, one that only will continue to linger for weeks at his news conferences, but also to Team 145. While all these players revere their former coach, Harbaugh isn’t in the trenches with them, it is Sheronne Moore’s team, and the focus needs to be on them and not on a polarizing figure.
Cons
The ultimate con, to me, goes back to my lede when I refer to the counter punch the Michigan base would love to deliver in a bad way. Until the NCAA finally rules on the Connor Stalions saga, it is going to be lingering against Michigan, having Harbaugh there would show a sign of strength and resilience the Michigan Man has for one of its own.
Tying into that first point, the Michigan fans want to acknowledge one of their own and serenade Harbaugh with an ovation that would shake the foundation of the Big House. Take away all the misconduct, either alleged or proven, what Harbaugh accomplished as a player under Bo Schembechler to being a head coach and arguably built the greatest Wolverine team, he is on that top tier of greatest Wolverines.
One day, Harbaugh will get celebrated by the Michigan faithful, it will be a strong ovation that day but it would not be as loud or impactful as it would have from this crowd at this point.
From a selfish perspective on my part, it is a missed opportunity for content gold. We all know Harbaugh is calculated when a microphone is put in front of his face, whether it is what he says or even him disregarding the media and pulling a player in front of the camera to just begin talking to avoid the media all together.
Verdict
I feel for both sides, and it was a good call for Harbaugh to pass on this opportunity. Michigan needs its focus to be on its new coach (Moore), Team 145, and begin the process of a new era. Having Harbaugh there is a distraction and delays the process.
With the NCAA looking to hammer Michigan and Harbaugh, this is one less reason to swing against them. While it isn’t a violation to have Harbaugh as an honorary captain in that role, the optics don’t look good and the NCAA bruised ego from this will inflict unnecessary pain.
For Harbaugh, it is an unnecessary distraction for his reboot in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. Harbaugh’s attorney Tom Mars said this following the COI findings of the COVID-19 dead period, “If I were in coach Harbaugh’s shoes and had an $80 million contract as head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn’t pay attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation’s most flagrant, repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws.”
Translation is that Harbaugh is getting paid a lot of money to win, and win right now, he doesn’t need to be paying attention to the NCAA right now. The general rule in the NFL is it doesn’t welcome distractions of any sort, and Harbaugh understands that culture, especially in his role where he sets the standard. The standard bearer doesn’t create controversy, with that mindset in place Harbaugh focusing on his Chargers, and Michigan focusing on Michigan is a win-win for both sides.
