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Harbaugh Should Be Suspended Indefinitely Without Pay, Pending Investigation

Harbaugh Allegedly Ordered Staffer to Video Other Big 10 and Potential Playoff Teams Sidelines in Alleged Sign Stealing Caper

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Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh

By Scott Salomon

Michigan Head Football Coach Jim Harbaugh, if the newest allegations targeted at the coach are true and correct, will go down in history as one of the most scandalous coaches to ever participate in intercollegiate athletics. That says a lot when you think of all of the coaches who have been caught violating NCAA rules over the years. 

It will be very difficult for Michigan to come back from these allegations if proven to be true, and Harbaugh could be barred from coaching at the NCAA level for many years to come. 

Harbaugh, who served a three-game suspension to begin the season as a result of allegedly giving improper benefits to a player, should be suspended by the University immediately pending the conclusion of the NCAA’s investigation. 

As the head coach of the football team, Harbaugh is responsible for the actions of his staff. If one of his analysts is caught doing these types of activities, it must be perceived that the direction either came from Harbaugh or that he at least knew about it and did nothing to stop it. He and his team benefited from the information that was obtained.

Either way, he should have coached his last game of the season last week at Spartan Stadium versus Michigan State. The Wolverines need to shut Harbaugh down for the season, show some institutional control, and start complying with the NCAA investigation. Perhaps an in-house suspension today would lessen the NCAA punishment that could come down the road. 

Allegations broke late last week, and became clearer on Monday, that Harbaugh allegedly had knowledge that a Michigan staffer and former decorated United States Marine Corps Captain, Connor Stalions, traveled to other Big 10 venues and those of potential playoff opponents to film their sidelines. This action violates NCAA scouting practices, which do not allow for in-person scouting, in order to steal signals, with illegal technology to wit: his personal cell phone, that are used on the sidelines to send in various plays and formations.

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NCAA rules prohibit in-person scouting of opponents on the current season’s schedule. Michigan plays virtually the same Big 10 schedule every year. There is supposedly in-stadium surveillance tape that shows Stalions at some of the games filming.

An opposing Big Ten school looked up in-stadium surveillance video from a game earlier this year, and sources said the person in the seat of the ticket purchased by Stalions held his smartphone up and appeared to film the home team’s sideline the entire game, according to Barstool Sports.

That information is going to be turned over to the NCAA this week, according to Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports. According to ESPN, the NCAA is expected to receive video evidence detailing the use of illegal technology as well.

Stalions, who was hired by the University in 2022 and earned $55,000 last year, was suspended by the Michigan athletic department on Monday with pay. He is accused of buying tickets and going to at least 30 games at 11 different venues for the purposes of such scouting, which included filming the sidelines, which violates the aforementioned NCAA scouting rules.

There are also three unnamed people who received tickets from Stalions with directions to assist with his alleged scandalous scouting practices and filming of the sidelines.

If the allegations are proven to be true, Michigan’s future will be much different from its past and present. This blue blood school will suffer potential loss of scholarships, potential loss of television appearances, and potential loss of post-season bowl eligibility, which should also include barring them from College Football Playoff appearances beginning this season. Michigan is currently in the top four in both polls and would be eligible for participation in the championship playoff. 

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh looks on from the sidelines during the Wolverines' game against Indiana on Oct. 14, 2023.

Perhaps if the school instituted a self-imposed bowl ban this season, which would include the playoffs, the penalties would not be as harsh once the investigation is complete.

Should they not initiate a ban this season, Michigan could advance to the playoff and win the National Title. If they do, they should not invest in a new trophy cabinet to house the award, as they will only have to surrender it a few months later when the hammer comes crashing down in Ann Arbor. 

The NCAA will take the trophy back faster than you can say Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll.

Speaking of Reggie Bush, the former USC running back was forced to surrender his Heisman Trophy after it was found that he received improper benefits. The NCAA even went so far as to strip the school of a National Title. 

One must question what will be what will come of current Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and his status as a Heisman contender. McCarthy, according to many sources, is a top-four player in the country and is a candidate for this season’s Heisman Trophy. 

An argument could be made that McCarthy was aided by Stalions’ stolen signals and that coaches could tell McCarthy what was going to happen on defense based on the signals that were sent in from the sidelines. Should McCarthy be denied the opportunity to win an Award that might be taken away from him months from now? 

Regardless, Harbaugh will have tarnished a once-proud program beyond recognition. This is something that will take many years to overcome once the penalties are levied and the dust settles. Harbaugh’s former coach, Bo Schembechler, must be turning over in his grave at this point. Schembechler won a lot of games at Michigan without violating NCAA rules. He ran a clean program, unlike his pupil.

The rubble that will remain after the NCAA is finished with its investigation will reveal that the allegations against Harbaugh and Michigan are true, and the school will suffer the severe sanctions as set forth above. 

Stalions is also accused of having bought tickets in his own name. He even used, upon information and belief, his own personal cell phone to video the home team’s sideline, the exact NCAA rule that he violated.

Nicole Auerbach of ESPN reported via sources from four Big 10 schools that Stalions bought tickets at opposing stadiums for non-Michigan games over the past three seasons, including 2023. Some tickets were bought under the names of his family members. 

If stupidity was a crime, Stalions and Harbaugh would be doing life without parole. 

With the advent of burner phones that could be bought under an alias and cannot be traced, Stalions might have a good argument that he did not do the filming. However, Stalions allegedly used a phone that was registered to him, and a reasonable inference can be made that he committed the alleged violations. Further, Stalions could have used an alias with the ticket department so his or his family name would not be associated with these seats. The only thing that could be dumber would be if Stalions paid by personal check and listed his intent in the memo.

Harbaugh has categorically denied the allegations and said that he would assist the NCAA in its investigation and help in any way possible. “I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter,” Harbaugh said on Thursday.

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed staff members or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action. I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against the NCAA rules. No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.”

— Jim Harbaugh on allegations made against him and the Wolverines program

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel vowed “complete cooperation” from the Wolverines athletic department as the NCAA continues its probe.

“I want to personally assure you that U-M Athletics will offer its complete cooperation to the NCAA in this matter,” Manuel said in a statement to CBS Sports on Friday. “At the University of Michigan, all of us are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity for all members of our community. This is the same expectation I have of all coaches, staff, and student-athletes.”

Stalions allegedly bought tickets to last weekend’s Penn State – Ohio State game in Columbus, but the tickets went unused as Stalions was outed and identified on Friday as the alleged culprit. He allegedly bought tickets on both sides of the field so he would have access to both teams sidelines. Michigan plays both teams in the coming weeks.

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