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Michigan's Jim Harbaugh takes responsibility for Shemy Schembechler hire after racist Twitter activity uncovered

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 31:  Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on during the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on December 31, 2022 in Glendale, Arizona. The Horned Frogs defeated the Wolverines 51-45.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Shemy Schembechler worked at Michigan for three days before Jim Harbaugh announced the man's resignation. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Michigan's hire of Shemy Schembechler, the son of legendary Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler, for a recruiting job felt like your standard feel-good homecoming story, up until a group of fans discovered some wildly problematic activity on the man's Twitter account.

The younger Schembechler has since resigned, but Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed how his program made the hire in the first place while speaking at a football camp on Thursday.

Per MLive, Harbaugh said he took responsibility for the failed hire, but noted that a third-party human resources company cleared Schembechler. Michigan has reportedly since changed companies for its social media vetting:

“I read the report myself,” Harbaugh said. “We have a company that vets that — social media — and they came back and (cleared him). We’ve got a new company doing that (now), but they’ve got to be better.

“I’ll take responsibility for that. If somebody can find that in a day, then we have to be better ourselves.”

Michigan announced it had hired Schembechler as an assistant director of football recruiting on May 17. Screenshots of Schembechler's Twitter likes proceeded to go viral over the next two days, many of which can be seen here. One in particular argued that Jim Crow laws were beneficial to the Black community, while another praised fringe presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. "as long as he doesn't go trans."

Schembechler, who previously worked in the NFL as a scout for more than 20 years, announced his resignation on May 20. He later released a statement through a public relations firm disavowing the viewpoints of some his liked tweets and saying "I was wrong."

Harbaugh played under Schembechler's father at Michigan and has known the younger Schembechler over their years in football, but said there was no defending what the man had liked on social media:

Once we became aware of things that were just offensive, offensive to me, offensive to other members of our team, we just didn't want that mindset around.

It's disappointing. You know? I've known Shemy for a long time. But there are no sacred cows. It's not who we are. It's not us.

Schembechler's Twitter account has also been deactivated. It's possible the same could be said for his time in football.