ANN ARBOR, Michigan (WKBN) – The University of Michigan and the Big Ten Conference reached an agreement on Thursday, with the school accepting the three-game suspension of head football coach Jim Harbaugh for alleged sign-stealing.
That means Harbaugh will not coach the Wolverines’ final two regular season games against Maryland this Saturday and Ohio State on Nov. 25.
He was suspended last Friday and did not coach last Saturday against Penn State, despite the school asking a court for an injunction and a temporary restraining order.
Harbaugh’s suspension stems from the Michigan football program being found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of the competition.
As a result of the agreement, the Big Ten Conference is ending its investigation, however, the NCAA’s investigation into the allegations is continuing.
Michigan and the Big Ten Conference were due in court on Friday regarding the punishment, but as a result of Thursday’s agreement, there will be no hearing on Friday.
The Big Ten Conference announced the following statement on Thursday:
“The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to student-athletes, sportsmanship and the Commissioner’s duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waver. Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference’s November 10th Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold. The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the University and the NCAA during this process.”
The University of Michigan released the following statement on Thursday:
“This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten resolved their litigation. The Conference agreed to close its investigation, and the University and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension. Coach Harbaugh, with the University’s support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field. The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.”
