by Kyle Golik
Michigan admitted to the NCAA this week that five individuals, who either currently or previously worked for the university’s football program, have reached an agreement with NCAA investigators for the Committee of Infractions. The various recruiting violations and coaching activities that occurred during COVID-19 period that includes but wasn’t limited to, “impermissible tryouts, exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities (including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to student-athletes).”
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was not named directly in the NCAA release, but his transgressions weren’t omitted from the release, “The negotiated resolution also involved the school's agreement that the underlying violations demonstrated a head coach responsibility violation and the former football head coach failed to meet his responsibility to cooperate with the investigation.”
Michigan also agreed that it failed to deter and detect the impermissible recruiting contacts and did not ensure that the football program adhered to rules for noncoaching staff members.
The punishment levied on Michigan equates to a “slap on the wrist:” three-year probation for the university due to the Level-I infractions and the recruiting restriction, which was not specified in the release, lends me to believe that since they weren’t explicitly mentioned they weren’t significant to be an obstacle for new head coach Sherrone Moore, what could stand in his way is the results of the Connor Stalions investigation.
While the NCAA made clear that the COVID violations and Stalions’ espionage are two different investigations, the hopeful impact for Michigan is the goodwill negotiated here can help bring a quick and amicable resolution on the matter.
The Big Ten made their move back in November when it suspended then head coach Jim Harbaugh for three-games for the Stalions matter. While Harbaugh’s suspension enraged Michigan fans, in essence the Big Ten closed its door on the matter.
While Big Ten university administrators and coaches sought more severe punishments, Michigan’s brand value is a major component to why CBS, FOX, and NBC are paying nearly $1 billion a year to broadcast Big Ten games, punishing Michigan hurts the league’s value to the networks that bank on the advertising revenue and ratings Michigan creates.
The next monetary component to all this is the College Football Playoff which recently signed a six-year $7.8 billion contract. The anticipation from ESPN in securing the media rights is having a well represented Big Ten contingent in its invitational.
While brands like Ohio State, Southern California, Oregon, and Penn State are as good as any nationally, Michigan’s relevancy and vying for one of those spots not only helps the Big Ten but the whole College Football Playoff maintain its value. Michigan and Washington in this January’s Final drew nearly 25 million viewers, the most in four seasons, that is valuable ad inventory for any network who holds the media rights.
Outside the business components and money, the slap on the wrist Michigan got was feasible because one of Jim Harbaugh’s three-game suspensions were due to the violations.
The only thing unresolved from the COVID issue is Harbaugh’s infraction for not being cooperative.
Harbaugh’s legal representation Tom Mars responded to the news of Michigan’s settlement with the NCAA, "Coach Harbaugh filed a lengthy response to the NOA (Notice of Allegations), which unfortunately has not been made public," Mars told The Detroit News on Tuesday. "I see that Michigan changed its position to get this resolved, which is not surprising. I can almost hear the wheels of the bus going 'whomp, whomp.'"
Harbaugh better get used to those bus tires as the deflection game Michigan is going to play with the NCAA and those implicated in the Stalions case will deflect and shift the blame to Harbaugh and Stalions.
The impact Michigan hopes was the goodwill established to settle the COVID matter between the school and the NCAA Committee of Infractions is when they begin to consider the school’s punishment in the Stalions affair, it should get a slap of the wrist.
For Moore, it will be a stern reminder to him and his staff that anyone operating outside the box of NCAA, Big Ten, or university guidelines will be punished severely, as the mea culpa between Michigan and the NCAA will be something not as restrictive but more a zero tolerance ruling.
If you are Stalions or Harbaugh, fully expect the full force of the NCAA to levy extreme show cause punishments on both effectively ending any future involvement with the two with any NCAA school in the future.
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