NCAA hands former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh a 4-year show cause order for recruiting violations
Associated PressThe AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! The NCAA said Harbaugh, who left his alma mater to coach the Los Angeles Chargers after last season’s undefeated national championship, “failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations.” “Harbaugh engaged in unethical conduct and failed to cooperate when he denied any involvement in impermissible recruiting contacts despite substantial information to the contrary,” the NCAA said in a 48-page decision that several times suggested the coach was not truthful with investigators. “If I were in Coach Harbaugh’s shoes and had an $80 million contract as head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn’t pay any attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation’s most flagrant, repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws.” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel noted the school has already accepted the sanctions and served many of the penalties. I was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations.” In the recruiting case, the NCAA sharply questioned Harbaugh’s “vague” responses during interviews with investigators, at one point “asking whether he was lying to the enforcement staff.” “I do not think I’m providing false or misleading information,” Harbaugh replied. One recruit specifically remembered the coach “ordered a hamburger for breakfast, which ‘kind of stood out’ to him.” Other NCAA evidence included a text message from Harbaugh to a recruit.