Reports: Jim Harbaugh facing serious NCAA violation, could face suspension

Head coach Jim Harbaugh is facing a potential suspension as the NCAA is hitting the Michigan Wolverines football program with a number of violations, according to reports.

The rules Michigan violated involved impermissible contact during the COVID dead period in 2020, too many coaches at practice sessions, and watching player workouts over video, according to Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel. The violations appear to have been self-reported by the program, as The Athletic reports the NCAA is also looking into the program due to a Michigan analyst performing on-field instruction.

The original violations were Level II violations — so nothing too serious — but the response from Harbaugh to investigators is considered a Level I violation, the most serious. The reason is NCAA investigators deemed Harbaugh provided false or misleading information during the initial investigation, according to both The Athletic and Wetzel.

At the moment, it is unclear what the exact punishments will be for these violations. However, for the Level I violation, Harbaugh could be suspended for a handful of games.

This all comes at a time where Harbaugh’s future in Ann Arbor is uncertain due to rumors of his return to the NFL swirling around. He had a conversation with Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper about their head coaching job, and there was also smoke about the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos being interested in Harbaugh.

But Harbaugh released a statement on Thursday saying, “I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023.” Although releasing any kind of statement is good and dandy, it isn’t exactly one that provides 100% confidence that he’ll be back.

This certainly is a stressful time for the fan base and the program with all this going on, so let’s hope there are only positive headlines to come from this point.