Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh drop court case, accept three-game suspension from Big Ten

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh will not be on the sideline Saturday when his team goes for the 1,000th win in program history, or the following week when it plays Ohio State with a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line.

The university announced Thursday afternoon that the school and Harbaugh have "resolved their pending litigation" with the Big Ten, and Harbaugh has accepted his suspension for the remainder of the regular season.

"This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten resolved their pending litigation. The Conference agreed to close its investigation, and the University and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension," associate athletic director Kurt Svoboda said in a news release. "Coach Harbaugh, with the University's support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field.

YESTERDAY'S NEWS: Michigan has no records of Connor Stalions filing any expense reports, FOIA request shows

"The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation."

Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore, who served as acting head coach last week against Penn State (as well as against Bowling Green in September during a previous, unrelated suspension for Harbaugh), will continue as acting head coach against Maryland in College Park, Maryland, on Saturday and next week against Ohio State in Ann Arbor.

Shortly after U-M announced its decision, the Big Ten released a statement.

"The Big Ten Conference’s commitment to student-athletes, sportsmanship and the Commissioner’s duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waver," the statement began. "Today’s decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference’s November 10th Notice of Disciplinary Action is indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold.

"The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the University and the NCAA during this process."

This comes after Harbaugh, 59, was suspended by the Big Ten last Friday for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy as it relates to the ongoing sign-stealing investigation surrounding the program. Connor Stalions, a former recruiting staffer, was identified as a person of interest by reports on Oct. 20 that said he violated NCAA rules in obtaining signals from other teams.

Sign-stealing is not against NCAA rules, but in-person scouting and the use of technology to scout are prohibited.

The NCAA reportedly has evidence of Stalions purchasing 35 tickets at 17 different stadiums over three seasons. He allegedly forwarded the tickets to an associate who would record the opponents' sidelines with their phone and send the videos back to Stalions, who would time them up with the plays and decode the signals. There was also reportedly a spreadsheet that indicated a $15,000 budget for travel and fees associated this year. However, according to information obtained by a FOIA request Wednesday, Stalions never filed any expense reports with the university.

Stalions was also allegedly on the Central Michigan sidelines for a game against Michigan State earlier this season, allegedly wearing Central Michigan gear.

Harbaugh, the Big Ten said, was never directly linked, but is being punished as he represents the program.

The decision came down as the No. 2 Wolverines were en route to University Park, Pennsylvania, for a game against then-No. 9 Penn State. Following the suspension, U-M athletic director Warde Manuel lit into the league in a statement, calling the suspension "unethical" and "insulting."

“Yesterday, under the guise of the NCAA Rule regarding Head Coach Responsibility the Big Ten decided to penalize Coach Harbaugh without knowing all the facts, and I find that completely unethical, insulting to a well-established process within the NCAA, and an assault on the rights of everyone (especially in the Big Ten) to be judged by a fair and complete investigation," Manuel's statement read in part. "Not liking someone or another university or believing without any evidence that they knew or saying someone should have known without an investigation is not grounds to remove someone from their position before the NCAA process has reached a conclusion through a full NCAA investigative process."

The sudden about-face in dropping the lawsuit came less than 24 hours before Harbaugh and attorneys representing him and the Michigan Board of Regents were set to meet with Big Ten lawyers in front of Judge Timothy Connors in Washtenaw County Circuit Court.

By bringing the case to court, U-M hoped to receive a temporary restraining order allowing Harbaugh to coach against the Terrapins and Buckeyes. Now that U-M has come to terms with the league, Harbaugh's suspension is final, with the Big Ten's investigation ending as well. Should Michigan win out and make the Big Ten championship game, set for Dec. 2 in Indianapolis, Harbaugh will be eligible to coach the Wolverines again.

The NCAA investigation into the matter is still open; there could be additional penalties if the governing body deems there was evidence a U-M staffer either helped Stalions or had knowledge of his plot.

Michigan also faces potential discipline from the NCAA regarding alleged Level II violations related to recruiting during the NCAA-mandated COVID-19 dead period. Harbaugh allegedly committed a Level I violation — considered the most serious — in not cooperating fully with NCAA investigators. Harbaugh was reportedly set to accept a four-game suspension before the season, but the plea agreement fell through.

Instead, Michigan suspended Harbaugh for three games to open the season (while allowing him to coach during the week). The NCAA could hand down additional punishment next year when the case is adjudicated. The NCAA also changed its rules for next season, mandating that suspended coaches must miss the entire week of a game, rather than Saturdays alone.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh accept suspension from Big Ten