Jim Harbaugh of Michigan accepts suspension; what does it mean going forward?

The parties called a stop to their week-long standoff on Thursday, ending it on the eve of a court appearance that would have pitted Jim Harbaugh and Michigan against the Big Ten conference, of which the university is a flagship member.

The Big Ten and Michigan both confirmed the terms of the agreement, which states that Harbaugh will serve the remaining three games of his original three-game suspension in exchange for the league ending its investigation into the Wolverines for alleged 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 of acting coach.

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

On Thursday afternoon, the Big Ten and Michigan both released statements.

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 suspension, and the Conference agreed to end its investigation. In order to put the attention back on our student-athletes and their on-field performance, Coach Harbaugh made the decision to accept this sanction 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 values, as demonstrated by the University of Michigan’s decision today to rescind its legal challenge against the Conference’s Notice of Disciplinary Action dated November 10. As a valued member of the Big Ten Conference, the University of Michigan will continue to collaborate with the Conference and the NCAA throughout this process.”

It’s evident from the careful wording of each statement that both parties left the negotiations with portions of the resolution they are satisfied with.

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 suspensions, might benefit most from Harbaugh’s presence and demeanor during this final game against Ohio State, which could be a matchup between unbeaten teams.

Still, getting the Big Ten to conclude its probe at the same time that admitting there is no evidence connecting Harbaugh to the Stalions should be seen as two big victories for Michigan. “This is not a sanction of Coach Harbaugh,” first-year commissioner Tony Petitti wrote in a 13-page letter to Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel last week. Instead, Harbaugh was punished because “the Head Coach embodies the University for purposes of its football program.”

Therefore, the terms of Thursday’s resolution not only permit the Wolverines to keep portraying Stalions—who is charged with flagrantly breaking the NCAA’s in-person scouting policy—as a rogue employee acting on his own initiative, but they also shield the program from any further sanctions the Big Ten might have meted out before the season ends, pending the collection of more evidence.

With the knowledge that the NCAA’s last open investigation into the Stalions’ behavior won’t wrap up until after the national championship, Harbaugh and his team can now continue their push toward the CFP.

The Big Ten likely saw significant victories in the court of public opinion to offset any face-bobbing that resulted from admitting it never had the evidence to link Harbaugh to the sign-stealing scheme. Petitti, who faced criticism from both athletic directors and other Big Ten coaches for not punishing the Wolverines for what they saw as serious violations of the rules of the game, is able to state:

That because the Big Ten regarded the alleged offenses seriously, he went above and beyond the two-game suspension that he is allowed to impose unilaterally and obtained the league’s Joint Group Executive Committee’s approval to add an extra game.

The fact that neither party engaged in a protracted argument that would have broken out in the open on Friday morning in a courtroom is perhaps most significant. In response to the Big Ten’s suspension, Michigan had requested an injunction and a temporary restraining order from the state’s Washtenaw County 22nd Circuit Court. Instead of making a decision last weekend that would have allowed Harbaugh to coach against Penn State, the court set a hearing for Nov. 17 in person at downtown Ann Arbor, which is conveniently close to Michigan’s campus.

The fact that courtrooms are accessible to the public meant that Friday’s hearing might have turned into a farce. Hundreds of journalists were scheduled to cover the hearing after Harbaugh announced at his weekly news conference that he would not only be attending but also possibly making a statement in front of the judge. Additionally, there’s a good chance that fans would have flocked to the courtroom to see the performance.

Harbaugh stated, “I’m going to talk on Friday.” Simply searching for that chance, you know? appropriate procedure. not seeking preferential treatment. Not trying to compete for popularity. searching only for the case’s merits. In my civics class my senior year of high school, we discussed justice and the government. I learned in that class that one is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Although that was forty years ago, I would still like the chance.”

Rather, Harbaugh will be absent from Michigan’s next two contests. But the Big Ten’s acknowledgement that it couldn’t link him to the Stalions was his compensation for staying at home to watch.