The Big Ten has suspended Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season, less than 24 hours before the No. 3 Wolverines kick off against No. 9 Penn State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
Harbaugh was “found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition,” according to a statement from the conference.
He is not permitted to be at the venues on game days but is allowed to attend practices and other team activities, according to the conference.
The findings stem from the allegations that former analyst Conor Stalions, who resigned from Michigan last week, coordinated a network of individuals who were sent to games of future opponents to record video that was used to decipher signals, a violation of NCAA rules.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti’s decision was announced after the Wolverines had departed Ann Arbor for their plane to State College. Harbaugh arrived with the team at State College Regional Airport around 4 p.m.
A university statement said the decision violated the conference’s own rules and the “basic tenets of due process.” Michigan and Harbaugh plan to seek a court order preventing disciplinary action. A request for a temporary restraining order was filed on Friday night.
“We are dismayed at the Commissioner’s rush to judgement when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation — one in which we are fully cooperating,” the university wrote in the statement.
Michigan and Harbaugh’s attorney have denied Harbaugh had any knowledge of the operation and suggested there’s no evidence Stalions’ efforts had a material effect on games. The university contended in a response to the conference earlier this week that any punishment at this point would be premature, and that the conference lacked authority to sanction Harbaugh under the Sportsmanship Policy.
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