Jim Harbaugh is a superb soccer coach, and there may be nothing the NCAA can do to vary that. Because the governing physique of school sports activities fades to black, it nonetheless defied its looming irrelevance by attacking Harbaugh with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
The NCAA dominated the previous Michigan coach ran a program “that was largely dismissive of guidelines compliance” and located “there was little, if any, emphasis on following the foundations.”
These phrases amounted to an in-his-prime Mike Tyson hook to the legacy of Jim Harbaugh, nationwide champ and promoter of values over victories. As half its findings from a sign-stealing scandal that appeared to get dumber by the hour, the NCAA added a 10-year present trigger penalty to an present four-year penalty and successfully banned the present coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from the school ranks till 2038, when the person might be 74 years previous, or one 12 months older than North Carolina’s Invoice Belichick is correct now.
Wow.
However actually, you shouldn’t really feel any otherwise about Harbaugh immediately than you probably did yesterday. Whereas protecting faculties and the professionals for the higher a part of 4 many years, I’ve discovered that these mega-coaches are just about all the identical.
They may do nearly something to win. And if an inside or exterior supporter needs to bend or break the foundations in pursuit of that objective, the mega-coaches will do their damnedest to willfully ignore it.
Norman Bay, chief listening to officer for the Michigan case, is talking in regards to the “in depth coverup” that included Connor Stalions throwing his telephone in a pond
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) August 15, 2025
Keep in mind, there was a time in Ann Arbor when Harbaugh wasn’t the fearless chief who had received Michigan’s first nationwide championship since 1997. He was merely the man who couldn’t beat Ohio State and who misplaced 16 video games over 4 years, punctuated by a 2-4 document within the pandemic-shortened season and the varsity’s insistence that he take a 50 p.c reduce in his base wage.
Harbaugh swore a transfer that price him thousands and thousands didn’t hassle him, however a supply with information of Harbaugh’s state of affairs insisted in any other case on the time, and stated the coach had a powerful want to return to the NFL ASAP. Despite the fact that Harbaugh had led the San Francisco 49ers to the Tremendous Bowl and had received almost 70 p.c of his NFL video games earlier than Michigan introduced him dwelling, the varsity had despatched its former star quarterback a message:
You keep on full scholarship provided that you win, and win large.
Earlier than he ran a go route again to the NFL, Harbaugh served two three-game suspensions for separate infractions through the 2023 season after which mocked the entire course of by successful the entire thing. He most likely figured he was protected in Los Angeles, dwelling the life with Justin Herbert, however the NCAA despatched what may very well be its ultimate all-out blitz Friday and appeared to take a measure of pleasure in it.
Michigan is going through tens of thousands and thousands in fines for an improper scouting scheme run by former aide Connor Stalions and his amateur-hour operatives generally known as “the KGB,” who attended video games and broke guidelines by filming the coaches of future opponents who had been signaling performs. Harbaugh’s successor and former assistant, Sherrone Moore, noticed his present two-game suspension elevated by a sport (in 2026), a improvement that commanded a lot of the eye that wasn’t already dedicated to the truth that Michigan saved its nationwide crown and dodged a postseason ban.
However this was a Harbaugh story from begin to end, and it’ll stay a Harbaugh story till the tip of time.
Addressing the allegations final 12 months because the rookie coach of the Chargers, Harbaugh stated the next:
“By no means lie. By no means cheat. By no means steal. I used to be raised with that lesson. I’ve raised my household on that lesson. I’ve preached that lesson to the groups that I’ve coached. Nobody’s good. If you happen to stumble, you apologize and also you make it proper. Right now, I don’t apologize. I didn’t take part, was not conscious nor complicit in these stated allegations.”
Harbaugh delivered Michigan a nationwide title earlier than exiting again to the NFL. (Christian Petersen / Getty Photos)
Although I’ve acknowledged Harbaugh’s brilliance as a motivator and strategist from a distance, his brother John — the Baltimore Ravens coach and the victor of their bygone Tremendous Bowl duel — was at all times extra my cup of tea. I as soon as spent three or 4 hours at John’s home to get to know him, and I reminded him that day that he owned a 2-0 profession document in opposition to his brother.
“I’m 3-0,” John shot again, counting a preseason victory.
The Harbaughs attempt to end in first place at the whole lot.
In speaking to folks in and round their household, it’s clear that the sons of Jack and Jackie Harbaugh imply it after they say that their religion and their family members take precedence over their occupation. However whereas on the workplace, attempting to construct and keep a championship workforce, Jim Harbaugh cares solely about beating his opponents — by any means mandatory.
Again in his enjoying days, when former Buffalo Payments star Jim Kelly questioned his toughness, Harbaugh responded by punching Kelly within the face, breaking his hand on contact.
Nothing is worse than questioning his will to win. Not even assailing his integrity as Michigan’s coach.
I don’t doubt that Jim Harbaugh is an effective son, husband and father. However as Michigan confirmed him with that reduce in wage, he was not employed to be a task mannequin for younger males on the facility. He was employed to do the whole lot in his energy to make the Wolverines the best workforce in America, and if that meant treating NCAA compliance and its advocates with utter disdain, then so be it.
In a unique time and place in faculty sports activities, the coach held up because the enduring paragon of advantage, John Wood, displayed spectacular willful ignorance whereas booster Sam Gilbert provided his gamers with improper further advantages. “My dad as soon as stated that novice athletics is run by amateurs,” Gilbert’s son, Michael, instructed Seth Davis in his authoritative biography of Wood.
That very same feeling has been shared by generations of coaches who thought the NCAA was an outdated group with foolish guidelines and selective strategies of prosecution, a corporation that now appears like a rotary telephone within the period of multimillion-dollar “student-athletes.” And why can’t soccer coaches scout future opponents in particular person and movie sign callers when tens of hundreds of followers within the crowd can examine those self same sign callers all day?
Belichick’s supporters made that case again within the Spygate days. Although coaches who get their indicators stolen have to do a greater job of defending and altering their performs, guidelines are guidelines, and there’s a worth to be paid when caught breaking them.
Harbaugh simply paid that worth by the hands of the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions, regardless that, with a straight face, he says he knew of no wrongdoing in his program. The committee couldn’t take away his championship or his perpetually standing in Ann Arbor as a homegrown hero.
It might solely validate the notion that Jim Harbaugh is simply one other coach who shouldn’t be instructing any programs on sportsmanship or ethics.
(Prime photograph: Alex Slitz / Getty Photos)
