Jim Harbaugh has steadfastly maintained his innocence.
When asked Monday about the NCAA accusing him of a Level 1 violation, Harbaugh maintained he had no knowledge of Michigan football’s sign-stealing operation.
“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. That’s what I was raised on.” Harbaugh said: “I’ve raised my family with those lessons, and I’ve preached those lessons to the teams that I’ve coached,” he said at a Los Angeles Chargers practice.
Afterwards, Harbaugh appeared to imply he would express remorse, but in fact did quite the opposite.
“Nobody is perfect, and when I stumble I apologize and I correct myself. Today I am not apologizing,” Harbaugh said, joking. “I was not involved in, did not know about, and was not complicit in these allegations, so I’m just going to get back to work and attack with a zeal never known before by mankind.”
on sunday, ESPN reported. The NCAA has begun outlining possible punishments for individuals involved in the complicated Michigan controversy, including Harbaugh and new head coach Sherrone Moore, who were named in the school’s governing body’s draft notice of charges.
Harbaugh reportedly did not allow the NCAA to see “any relevant messages or call logs from his cell phone.”
Similarly, Moore, who was promoted after serving as UM’s offensive coordinator the past three seasons, allegedly deleted 52 text messages with Stallions after news of staff member Connor Stallions’ misconduct broke.
After photos of the Stallions appearing to be duped circulated on social media, the NCAA confirmed that the Stallions had attended the Central Michigan game to scout Michigan State.
Harbaugh joined the team in January after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2015 to 2023. His greatest achievement was winning the national championship in his final season.
The 60-year-old coach was suspended for three games in 2023 because of the scandal but returned for the postseason, leading Michigan to a win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship and eventually beating Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff.
Harbaugh will take over with a Chargers team that is 24-27 over the past three years with one playoff appearance and there are already concerns about quarterback Justin Herbert’s health.
Los Angeles will be Harbaugh’s first NFL training site since coaching in San Francisco from 2011-2014, when he led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and three NFC Championship Games.
Now that Harbaugh is entrenched in the NFL for the time being, he will likely avoid any kind of punishment from the NCAA, but ESPN added that Harbaugh could be subject to “show cause” restrictions if he were to return to college.
