Michigan was placed on probation for the next three years and will face other NCAA penalties due to violations during a COVID-19 dead period and for having non-coaching members participate in impermissible duties under former football coach Jim Harbaugh.
The penalties, which also include a fine for Michigan and recruiting penalties, were part of an agreement between the NCAA enforcement team, the University of Michigan and “five individuals who currently or previously worked for its football program.”
According to the NCAA statement, a former coach was not involved in the settlement and “that part of the case will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions.” The coach who did not participate is not appointed by the NCAA.
Harbaugh served self-imposed three-game suspension at the start of the 2023 season because of these violations, which are separate from the sign-stealing saga involving Connor Stalions that broke out in the second half of the year.
“Today’s joint resolution concerns the University of Michigan Department of Athletics and several current and former employees,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. program can move forward. We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA investigation.”
Michigan appeared to have a resolution in place with the NCAA last summer that would suspend Harbaugh for four games, along with new head coach Sherrone Moore and new offensive line coach Grant Newsome for one game, but the deal fell apart in August, shortly before the 2023 season.
Michigan first received a draft of allegations related to violations of recruiting and coaching activities by non-coaching staff members in January 2023. The violations included in-person recruiting contacts and testing during the NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period and exceeding the number of coaches allowed. participating in “on and off-field training activities,” according to the NCAA.
The violations were labeled as Level II violations, which are defined as actions considered “more than a minimum but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting advantage, competitive or otherwise,” according to a description adopted in 2019.
An additional Level I violation was filed against Harbaugh, who told the NCAA he had no recollection of the Level II violations, which the NCAA determined were misleading. A Level I violation is defined as a “serious breach of conduct” that “seriously harms or threatens the integrity of college sports.”
When official notice of the allegations was sent in December, just before the Wolverines’ third consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff, several people told the Free Press Michigan acknowledged the Level II violations, while Harbaugh maintained his innocence of the Level I violation.
The Wolverines won the first three games of the season without Harbaugh, who then returned for the next six games before being suspended again by the Big Ten for a different scandal, causing him to miss the final three games of the regular season.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti handed down the second suspension after the alleged sign-stealing operation in Michigan became public in late October. Shortly after the news became public, Stalions was identified as the ringleader, where he would allegedly purchase tickets to games of Michigan’s future opponents, send associates to watch games, and film opponent sideline signals that were not available on television.
Harbaugh and Michigan initially filed a court order seeking to stop the Big Ten’s three-game suspension, but dropped the case before it reached court and accepted the suspension, which was handed down to Harbaugh for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy.
Harbaugh returned for the postseason, where he led Michigan to another Big Ten Championship and the school’s first national title since 1997.
Since winning the national championship over Washington, Harbaugh has left the Michigan program to take the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers. Moore, who was interim head coach during Harbaugh’s suspension in November, was promoted to head coach after the season.
Harbaugh’s move also led to a wave of personnel turnover, including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter joining Harbaugh, among others.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan Receives NCAA Sanctions Including Probation and Recruiting Penalties
