Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh may be facing Big Ten discipline in the near future over the school’s alleged sign-stealing scandal.
In an appearance on “College GameDay,” Pete Thamel of ESPN suggested that the Big Ten could be moving toward some sort of punishment for Harbaugh and the school. Thamel said the most likely outcome at this point is some sort of suspension for Harbaugh under the league’s sportsmanship policy.
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“The most telling sign that could happen is that (Big Ten commissioner) Tony Petitti told his athletic directors this week that he’s been engaged with the NCAA, which is an important step in getting a fact set in this case,” Thamel said. “The next steps appear that there will be some type of punishment for Michigan. The most likely scenario here is some type of suspension for Jim Harbaugh. … In the upcoming days, I would expect we’re going to find out if the Big Ten will punish Jim Harbaugh, what that will be, and how long that suspension would be potentially.”
Harbaugh has not been directly linked to any wrongdoing in the scandal. Indeed, there are suggestions that the NCAA only has evidence against Connor Stalions, the central figure in the allegations. However, with Big Ten schools putting increasing pressure on the conference to take some sort of action against the Wolverines, Harbaugh may be scapegoated in the near-term. Whether that would placate the rest of the conference remains to be seen.
If Harbaugh is indeed suspended, it would be his second of the season, with the Michigan coach having missed three games under a school-imposed ban over a different investigation.
