Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has received a four-year show-cause penalty for his role in the Wolverines' recruiting violations case, the NCAA announced Wednesday. The punishment is unrelated to Michigan's sign-stealing scandal, which is expected to result in additional penalties for those involved.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions determined that Harbaugh "violated recruiting and inducement rules, engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations." Harbaugh, who is now coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, would be suspended for "100 percent" of his first season if he returned to college coaching during the four-year show-cause period.
The violations included texting during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, analysts performing on-field coaching and coaches watching workouts over Zoom during the shutdown. Harbaugh's "unethical conduct" and "failure to cooperate" as well as what the NCAA described as "his provision of false or misleading information" constituted a Level I NCAA violation, according to the NCAA's announcement.
Related: Jim Harbaugh denies participation in Michigan's sign-stealing scheme: 'I do not apologize'
Five former Michigan staff members reached an agreement with the NCAA in April for penalties associated with the case. But Harbaugh's resolution was handled separately, and the NCAA deemed that he was in violation of a head coach's "responsibility obligations."
"The panel noted that Harbaugh's intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct amplified the severity of the case and prompted the panel to classify Harbaugh's case as Level I-Aggravated, with penalties to include a four-year show-cause order," the NCAA announcement reads.
Michigan received an initial copy of the notice of allegations in January 2023, but it managed to slow down the process enough that the 2023 team was not impacted. The 2023 Wolverines ultimately won their first national championship since 1997 and first outright crown since 1948. Harbaugh vehemently fought the allegations that he failed to cooperate during his tenure at Michigan.
