Big Ten coaches reportedly angry with lack of action against Michigan

Dec 30, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A Michigan Wolverines football helmet sits on the field prior to the game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Michigan Wolverines at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Big Ten coaches are reportedly fuming over the conference’s lack of action against Michigan in response to sign-stealing allegations that have roiled the league.

A number of Big Ten coaches spent a portion of Wednesday’s coaches video call venting their frustration at conference commissioner Tony Petitti for not moving to do anything to take action against Michigan or coach Jim Harbaugh. Some of those coaches anonymously described the mood of the call as downright angry.

“There is just a ton of frustration,” one Big Ten coach told Bruce Feldman and Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic. “Look at Jim Harbaugh’s record before this started. The guy was on the hot seat before 2021, and now he’s like the king of college football. … No doubt this all has had a profound effect.

“This guy’s being investigated for three different things now between the (alleged) illegal signal stealing, the (alleged) illegal recruiting during COVID and that investigation into the offensive coordinator and alleged computer hacking. There are guys (on that call) who could lose jobs, and then there’s this guy over here (Harbaugh) who is gonna get a new, bigger contract now, and they won’t do anything about him.”

The flipside of this is the danger that Petitti and the Big Ten face in acting now, and what they can actually do about it. The NCAA is running the investigation, and while the alleged details seem pretty clear, the picture may be incomplete still. Plus, it would be difficult to take action against Michigan without punishing players that may have known absolutely nothing about what was allegedly going on.

Petitti is in an impossible situation, and whatever he does or does not do is likely to enrage someone. For now, however, Michigan does not seem to be facing any sort of sanctions or punishment in the near future, at least until a proper investigation is conducted.