University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh is “expected” to be suspended for the first four games of the 2023 college football season. A negotiated resolution is being discussed between the Wolverines program and NCAA, according to Yahoo Sports.
Harbaugh is being accused of giving the NCAA either false or misleading information regarding alleged recruiting violations from 2021 during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
“We are continuing to work cooperatively with the NCAA staff on an enforcement matter,” Harbaugh‘s lawyer Tom Mars said to ESPN. “At this time, we are not allowed to comment on possible penalties or other aspects of the matter.”
The NCAA claims Harbaugh lied to investigators about violations during an original meeting. Dishonesty during an investigation, itself, is a separate Level I NCAA violation in the organization’s rulebook. Earlier this year, it looked like all parties involved were coming close to a resolution, but Harbaugh refused to sign a document during negotiations that would have seen him admit he was, in fact, dishonest during the first meeting, per Yahoo Sports.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and NCAA are working toward a negotiated resolution that is expected to see him suspended four games this season in penalties stemming from alleged false statements he originally made to investigators, sources tell @YahooSports.https://t.co/4oJYVNxmFu
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) July 25, 2023
Harbaugh has maintained on a consistent basis he wasn’t dishonest, claiming he doesn’t remember what happened that led to recruiting violations, Yahoo Sports noted. (RELATED: Hazing Allegations Against Northwestern Reportedly Ratcheted Up With New Lawsuits And Graphic Details)
It is believed Harbaugh could have avoided harsh punishment if the NCAA was convinced he cooperated with their investigations into their four Level II violations.