SO TERRIBLE AS WOLVERINES SUSPENDED THEIR LINEMAN FOR AN.

The sides called a stop to their week-long standoff on Thursday, ending it on the day of a court hearing that would have placed Jim Harbaugh and Michigan against the Big Ten conference, of which the institution is a flagship member.

The Big Ten and Michigan both verified the terms of the agreement, which states that Harbaugh will serve the remaining three games of his original three-game punishment in exchange for the conference ending its investigation into the Wolverines for suspected violations of the sportsmanship policy. After being disqualified from coaching during last week’s victory over Penn State, Harbaugh will now be unable to coach in the upcoming regular season games against Ohio State at home on November 25 and at Maryland on Saturday. Before Harbaugh returns in the postseason, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will continue to take on the role as acting coach.

Though it is unlikely to be finished before 2024, a second NCAA probe into the sign-stealing operation headed by former Wolverines analyst Connor Stalions, who resigned earlier this month after the university first suspended him with pay, is still ongoing.

From Michigan: “The University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten have settled their ongoing legal dispute this morning. The University and Coach Harbaugh consented to take the three-game punishment, and the Conference decided to end its inquiry. In order to put the attention back on our student-athletes and their on-field performance, Coach Harbaugh made the decision to accept this suspension with the backing of the university. The Conference has declared that it has not come across any evidence indicating Coach Harbaugh was involved in the accusations. The University is still giving the NCAA’s investigation its full cooperation.”

According to the league: “The Big Ten Conference will always be dedicated to supporting student-athletes, upholding sportsmanship, and the Commissioner’s responsibility to safeguard the fairness of competition. The Conference and the University aim to maintain high standards and principles, as demonstrated by the University of Michigan’s decision today to rescind its legal appeal against the Conference’s Notice of Disciplinary Action of November 10. As a respected member of the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan will continue to collaborate with the Conference and the NCAA throughout this process.”

For a team that hopes to make it to the Big Ten Championship game and maybe the College Football Playoffs three times in a row, Michigan’s loss of Harbaugh for the balance of the regular season is still a major setback. The Wolverines, who are 4-0 without him this season due to various bans, would benefit most from Harbaugh’s presence and demeanor during this final game against Ohio State, which might be a matchup between unbeaten teams.