ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan is trying to obtain a court order to halt the suspension of head football coach Jim Harbaugh after the Big Ten took action due to the program’s sign-stealing operation.
Here’s the full statement from Michigan following the announcement that Harbaugh would be suspended from the final three regular-season games:
Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered. Today’s action by commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the conference’s own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed.
We are dismayed at the commissioner’s rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation -- one in which we are fully cooperating.
Commissioner Petitti’s hasty action today suggests that this is more about reacting to pressure from other conference members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and impartially. By taking this action at this hour, the commissioner is personally inserting himself onto the sidelines and altering the level playing field that he is claiming to preserve. And, doing so on Veterans Day -- a court holiday -- to try to thwart the university from seeking immediate judicial relief is hardly a profile in impartiality. To ensure fairness in the process, we intend to seek a court order, together with coach Harbaugh, preventing this disciplinary action from taking effect.”
University of Michigan
Michigan believes any punishment for Harbaugh or the team should be handed down after the NCAA investigation is completed. So far, no public evidence has linked Harbaugh to the operation.
Less than 24 hours before Michigan’s game against Penn State, while the team was in flight, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti issued the suspension at the demand of coaches who wanted to see Harbaugh pay for the alleged actions of former analyst Connor Stalions.
Stalions, who resigned last week, is accused of breaking the NCAA’s advanced scouting rules by purchasing tickets to games involving Michigan’s future opponents and sending people to those games to film the sidelines.
Although no evidence linking Harbaugh to the operation has been revealed, his fellow Big Ten coaches demanded action from Petitti, who eventually relented despite warnings from the University of Michigan, Harbaugh, and state lawmakers.
The Wolverines asked the commissioner to respect due process and wait to issue punishment until the investigation plays out, especially since recent leaks suggest Michigan wasn’t the only team that had acquired signs in a way that appears nefarious.
“The reputation and livelihoods of coaches, students, and programs cannot be sacrificed in a rush to judgment, no matter how many and how loudly people protest otherwise,” U of M President Santa Ono wrote. “Due process matters.”
Added state lawmakers: “Should you, as the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, rush to judgement or engage in any ill-considered actions, we will vigorously support our public universities in their efforts to compel fairness and due process.”
The suspension is certainly a bold choice by the new commissioner. Michigan has argued that there’s no precedent for such a move and that the sign stealing wouldn’t result in a competitive advantage going forward.
Michigan will square off against No. 10 Penn State on Saturday in what will surely be the toughest challenge so far this season. The Wolverines are 9-0 and No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and they’re hoping to win the Big Ten and advance to the playoff for the third year in a row.
