NCAA Still In Power? Michigan Slapped With 3-Year Probation, Recruiting Limits, Fine
Well, apparently the NCAA is not dead yet.
The beleaguered NCAA Enforcement staff slapped the much-investigated Michigan football program for recruiting violations under former coach Jim Harbaugh during a COVID-19 dead period in 2020 with a three-year probation, recruiting limitations and a fine on Tuesday, according to the NCAA office.
The recruiting penalties and amount of the fine have not yet been disclosed.
Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended preemptively by Michigan for the first three games of the 2023 season for his role in recruiting violations in 2020, then for the final three games of the regular season by the Big Ten and the NCAA for his role in impermissible scouting and sign-stealing. (Getty Images).
The NCAA's investigation will also continue with a second part focusing on Harbaugh, who did not participate or cooperate in the investigation.
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"The committee will not discuss further details in the case to protect the integrity of the ongoing process," an NCAA release stated. "The committee's final decision, including potential violations and penalties for the former coach (Harbaugh) are pending."
After leading Michigan to a victory over Washington on Jan. 8 for its first national championship since 1997, Harbaugh left Michigan to become the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore replaced Harbaugh.
The infractions involve impermissible in-person recruiting by coaches, impermissible tryouts and Michigan exceeding the number of allowed coaches and non-coaching staff members in on- and off-field coaching activities, such as technical and tactical instruction to student-athletes. Michigan itself had preemptively suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the 2023 season for the recruiting violations, hoping that would soften or take the place of the NCAA's penalties. It did not.
This NCAA investigation and enforcement does not cover the impermissible scouting, spying and sign stealing investigation from last season that the NCAA and Big Ten are still pursuing that also involved Harbaugh.
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the last three games of the regular season last year for his role in a sign stealing and illegal scouting scandal. (Getty Images)
The Big Ten under NCAA guidance suspended Harbaugh for the final three regular season games last season for his role in that. The Michigan recruiting violations investigation by the NCAA pre-dated the spying investigation by two-to-three years.
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The NCAA Enforcement staff recently reached an agreement with Michigan and the five current and former football coaches or staff members found to have broken NCAA recruiting rules and the "appropriate penalties for those violations," the release said, and a committee on infractions panel approved the agreement.
"The five participating individuals also agreed to one-year show-cause order consistent with the classifications of their respective violations," the NCAA statement said.
Just last month, the NCAA shelved investigations into third party Name, Image & Likeness deals with college athletes following yet another NIL-related courtroom loss, which was to the state of Tennessee and involved the University of Tennessee's NIL activities.
"The Division I Board of Directors directed enforcement staff to pause and not begin investigations involving third-party participation in NIL-related activities," NCAA president Charlie Baker stated in a letter in March.
But other investigations obviously continue. The NCAA's release did not name Harbaugh, but it uses "head coach" in the second paragraph and discusses what he did wrong.
"The negotiated resolution 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," the release says. "The school 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 non-coaching staff members."
New Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh speaks at a press conference in Inglewood, Califorinia, on Feb. 1. (Getty Images)
The NCAA statement explained its split of the investigation because Harbaugh did not cooperate.
"By separating the cases, the Division I Committee on Infractions publicly acknowledges the infractions case and permits Michigan and the participating individuals to immediately begin serving their penalties while awaiting the committee's final decision on the remaining contested portion of the case (Harbaugh's), the NCAA said. "That decision will include any findings and penalties for the former coach."
The NCAA has previously split up investigations four times under similar circumstances, the release said.
"We are pleased to reach a resolution on this matter so that our student-athletes and our football program can move forward," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. "We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA's inquiries."
Manuel's use of the word "inquiries" was wrong. They are penalties, and more are likely coming.