The University of Michigan has self-imposed a three-game suspension on head coach Jim Harbaugh as the football program continues to face alleged NCAA violations, the school announced Monday.
"I will continue to do what I always tell our players and my kids at home, 'Don't get bitter, get better,'" Harbaugh said in a statement.
Harbaugh will miss Michigan's games against East Carolina, UNLV, and Bowling Green. The 59-year-old's return to the sideline is scheduled to come on September 23, when Michigan opens Big Ten play against Rutgers. Harbaugh will still have the opportunity to coach during the week while suspended, per NCAA rules, but not on game days.
"While the ongoing NCAA matter continues through the NCAA process, today's announcement is our way of addressing mistakes that our department has agreed to in an attempt to further that process," athletic director Warde Manuel said in a release. "We will continue to support Coach Harbaugh, his staff, and our outstanding student-athletes. Per the NCAA's guidelines, we cannot comment further until the matter is resolved."
Michigan said an interim coach for its first three games will be announced at a later date.
Jim Harbaugh Allegations
The NCAA sent a notice of allegations to Michigan in January, in which it alleged Harbaugh and the football program committed Level I and II violations.
Harbaugh faces a Level I violation, the more serious of the two, for making statements to the NCAA which it deemed misleading. The Level II violations stem from allegations of Michigan having too many coaches on the field during practice, contacting two recruits during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, watching players workout via an unauthorized Zoom meeting, and texting a recruit when not allowed.
A report from Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports in July indicated that Harbaugh and the NCAA came to a tentative agreement that the coach would serve a four-game suspension to start this season. But that deal fell apart earlier this month. The NCAA's Committee on Infractions [COI] rejected the negotiated resolution, according to multiple reports, meaning the case will likely be revisited after the 2023 season.
Michigan fans speculated online during this process that the violations stemmed from Harbaugh buying a recruit lunch during a dead-period visit. The NCAA shot that down.
"The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities—not a cheeseburger," Derrick Crawford, NCAA vice president of hearing operations, said in a statement. "It is not uncommon for the [infractions committee] to seek clarification on key facts prior to accepting. The COI may also reject a [negotiated resolution] if it determines that the agreement is not in the best interests of the Association or the penalties are not reasonable. If the involved parties cannot resolve a case through the negotiated resolution process, it may proceed to a hearing, but the committee believes cooperation is the best avenue to quickly resolve issues."
ESPN reported that Harbaugh and the Wolverines decided to self-impose a suspension to "mitigate some of the eventual punishment."
Michigan has won the Big Ten Championship Game and appeared in the College Football Playoffs in each of the last two seasons. The Wolverines are ranked No. 2 in the 2023 preseason AP poll.
Harbaugh has a record of 74-25 in nine seasons as Michigan's head coach.
