By Rock Westfall
The Big Ten suspended Jim Harbaugh, but he may soon be sprung.
Playing Their Roles
From the beginning, everyone knew the plot, roles, and lines. And on Friday, the farce played out. The only question is if Jim Harbaugh will be on the field today at Penn State or, if not, for the final two games of the regular season.
On Friday afternoon, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti announced that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the final three games of the regular season. Harbaugh can coach the team during the week but is banned from being on-site for Michigan’s games. In turn, Michigan wasted no time filing a temporary restraining order at its home court in Washtenaw County. The case was assigned to Judge Carol Kuhnke, a Michigan alum.
Last week, Michigan's regents discussed leaving the Big Ten if Jim Harbaugh was suspended without what it believes to be due process, source tells SI.
ESPN reported the suspension 30 mins before the B1G informed UM.
The Michigan-Petitti fight is on.https://t.co/JqlMiibwJA
— Michael Rosenberg (@Rosenberg_Mike) November 10, 2023
Petitti Throws the Angry 13 a Bad Bone
Last week, Petitti conducted conference call meetings with the Big Ten athletic directors and, afterward, the Big Ten coaches. The meetings were heated with demands for Harbaugh’s head on a platter.
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In the interest of his self-preservation, Petitti quickly realized that he had to do something. He also surely realized that a Michigan lawsuit would counter whatever he did. At the same time, Michigan knew this punishment was coming. Petitti and Michigan probably negotiated terms over the past few days. There are no surprises here.
Petitti worked closely with the NCAA investigation, gathering all the available evidence. He wanted to build the strongest case against the Michigan lawsuit. Petitti wanted to show the Big Ten schools that he did his due diligence.
So Petitti acted with the suspension, knowing it may not stand. But now he can tell the 13 other schools that he did all he could, and it’s now out of his hands.
But by doing this, Petitti has angered the biggest, richest, and most powerful brand in the Big Ten. He is about to learn that if you take a shot at the king, you better not miss. Also, the Angry 13 schools are about to encounter eye-popping legal bills for their fit of pique.
In its response, the Big Ten basically tells Michigan: If we let you off the hook here, then we'd be playing favorites.
"The Conference does not play favorites among its members," Big Ten statement says. pic.twitter.com/pBzAMGnloj
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 10, 2023
The Leaders and the Best for Many Reasons
There is no justifying the Connor Stalions affair. He was on the Michigan football payroll and interacted with coaches on the sidelines. It’s all on video. Jim Harbaugh is the ultimate boss of the operation.
Michigan’s iconic late coach and Harbaugh’s hero and mentor Bo Schembechler once said a leader knows everything or is an idiot if they don’t. Anyone pretending that Stalions acted alone is dumbfounded by maize and blue blinders and insulting the rest of us.
This space has held Michigan accountable and refuses to buy its lies. Nobody has been tougher on Michigan and its institutional arrogance.
But there is another side to the University of Michigan. They did not become the B1G Daddy of the Big Ten by being amateurs. Michigan is Old Money with the biggest house in the bluest blood neighborhood. They know what they are doing and have done it for decades. You don’t build a powerhouse brand without smarts, connections, and cash.
Michigan hired legal superstar Tom Mars to take on this case. Mars works for the prestigious and powerful Williams & Connolly Washington, DC law firm. Mars used to work for the NCAA. Later, he beat the NCAA on cases as an attorney. He has previously represented Jim Harbaugh in a different NCAA case.
Michigan prints money. It has one of the largest and well-connected alum bases in the country. All of that will be unleashed on Tony Petitti and the Big Ten.
From the start, Petitti has been outclassed by Michigan. Petitti has not shown he is ready for the Big Time. The issue never should have gone public, but it did. And that is on Petitti and his lack of stature. Nobody fears or respects the rookie commish. The Big Ten continues to suffer from a leadership void left by the retirement of Jim Delany.
Here is the 10-page letter that Tom Mars – attorney for Jim Harbaugh – sent to the Big Ten responding to the sportsmanship investigation, reporting with @RossDellenger 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Ir1u5Qs2em
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) November 9, 2023
A B1G Hole at the Top
Jim Delany served as Big Ten commissioner from 1989 to 2019. He was one of the most successful and powerful leaders in sports. Among his many accomplishments, Delany founded the Big Ten Network, making it an unqualified success that other leagues tried to emulate.
It is also true that Delany was often a boorish clod and oaf. He could be as arrogant and condescending as the University of Michigan. But like UM, Delany was ultimately successful. He had smarts, vision, toughness, and enough integrity to prevail. And in private, he had a brutal iron fist and firm command of his league.
Unlike Tony Petitti, Delany would have kept this fiasco in-house. He would have called in the other athletic directors and laid down the law. Delany would have warned of the blow to league prestige if all the previous Big Ten transgressions went public. Also, he would have wisely counseled that every school’s past sins would be made public in a civil war that nobody would win. The issue would have died in Delany’s conference room without news or social media rage.
Delany was a brilliant man. And he shrewdly recognized that nobody beats the house or, in this case, the Big House.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti made a hasty decision to suspend Jim Harbaugh from the sideline for the rest of the regular season.
More from @Rosenberg_Mike: https://t.co/v22nPx2Fu1 pic.twitter.com/usSP9wFLab
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 10, 2023
Spring Harbaugh and Leave the B1G?
Michigan’s immediate concern is to get Harbaugh back on the sideline ASAP. Harbaugh’s sideline presence is vital in Michigan’s push for the national championship. With all his flaws, he is one of football’s greatest leaders. His players will run through a brick wall for him. And his record shows the value of his omnipresence.
The legal profession and politicians often say, “It’s not the law; it’s the judge.” That adage leads to the current case that was shopped to Michigan’s home county court and alum judge. Michigan stands a good shot at getting Harbaugh reinstated for games.
As for the future, there is talk that Michigan may take its ball and go to another conference, such as the ACC or, gulp, the SEC. Michigan may ultimately say, “It’s us or Petitti!”
Would the other 13 Big Ten schools say, “See Ya!” Or would the Angry 13 try to preserve the league’s marquee brand and power?
The Big Ten and Michigan should proudly wear the “Pardon Me for My Arrogance” t-shirts on sale at Ann Arbor fan shops. They deserve each other.
When Michigan's regents met last week, they talked about leaving the Big 10 if Harbaugh was suspended without proper due process, sources told SI.
Today certainly showed that Michigan doesn't think Harbaugh got due process… pic.twitter.com/g4ymkXc1d9
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 10, 2023
