Jim Harbaugh fired up the Michigan Wolverines’ fan base on Tuesday night by sending a tweet aimed at Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith.
Here’s the tweet sent by the Michigan coach:
Good to see Director Smith being relevant again after the tattoo fiasco. Welcome back!
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) March 23, 2016
That’s Harbaugh bringing up the tattoo scandal Ohio State endured when it was found out the program’s players were violating NCAA rules by trading merchandise/autographs for free tattoos.
So what had Harbaugh so riled up?
Earlier on Tuesday, Smith and Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer were asked whether they would follow Harbaugh’s lead and hold spring break practices in Florida after Meyer said they would consider the possibility. Meyer ultimately said he didn’t think he would do it because he didn’t want to take spring break away from his players.
Smith had thoughts as well, complete with an explanation about “jumpstarting” a program.
“We’re talking about spring practice. What’s my man’s name? Allen Iverson? We’re talking about practice, man,” Smith said. “So the reality is I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t support taking that time away from our student-athletes.
“Is it creative? Does it help from a recruiting and marketing point of view? I get that,” Smith said. “If we were jumpstarting our program I’d probably try and do that, too. But we’re not jumpstarting our program. We’re in a different place.”
The NCAA is looking into whether they will allow such a practice to continue. In the meantime, Harbaugh is going to keep firing off missiles whenever he feels necessary.
