Jim Harbaugh has been involved in multiple NCAA investigations in recent months, and many have wondered if that will impact how NFL teams view him as a potential head coach candidate. We now have an answer.
Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported on Thursday that teams he has spoken with are not concerned at all about the ongoing sign-stealing investigation involving Michigan.
“At first, teams were saying, ‘You know what, we really want to start hearing more about this investigation.’ But as the last couple weeks have gone, that has just completely changed,” Glazer said. “All the teams I talked to have said, ‘You know what, regardless of what we hear in that investigation, that’s not going to effect the way we look at Jim Harbaugh if he wants to come back and coach in the NFL.’ I actually think, for the NFL, they’ve kind of moved on from this.”
Harbaugh served a self-imposed three-game suspension to begin the season. That suspension stemmed from an NCAA investigation over an alleged recruiting violation. Then earlier this month, he was suspended three games by the Big Ten over Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal.
There has been talk of Harbaugh being suspended for the entire 2024 season. As of now, there has been no evidence indicating he had direct knowledge of any illegal scouting tactics that were being used. Should such evidence surface, NFL teams might feel differently about Harbaugh.
If Harbaugh does receive another lengthy suspension, he may be more inclined to consider NFL opportunities. The big question is how much interest he would generate. The 59-year-old essentially admitted two years ago that he would have taken the Minnesota Vikings job if it were offered to him. Harbaugh then met with another NFL team this past offseason but was never Plan A for that team.
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