(AP/WXYZ) — The University of Michigan Board of Regents and football coach Jim Harbaugh filed a temporary restraining order Friday against the Big Ten and Commissioner Tony Petitti after the Wolverines coach was suspended for the last three regular games of the season.
The Big Ten Conference announced Friday evening that Harbaugh will be suspended for the games remaining in the 2023 regular season, effective immediately, after they say he conducted "an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years."
He will be allowed to coach during the week. It was unclear as of Friday night if Harbaugh will be allowed to be on the sidelines Saturday for the game at Penn State.
"Enforcing the Sportsmanship Policy with appropriate discipline this season in light of the University’s established violations this season is thus of the utmost importance to protect the reputation of the Conference and its member institutions and to ensure that our competitions on the field are honorable and fair," Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti wrote in the notice of disciplinary action.
Read the full letter below:
The University of Michigan previously warned Petitti in a letter about overstepping his authority and rushing to judgment, insisting earlier this week that he cannot discipline Harbaugh under the conference’s sportsmanship policy for the alleged sign-stealing scheme that has rocked college football.
The letter was Michigan’s response to the Big Ten’s notification of potential discipline of Harbaugh's undefeated second-ranked team, which is among the favorites to win the national championship.
Michigan's letter said the Big Ten cannot take action if a formal decision has not been made about whether rules were violated.
The school also said it would not be fair to discipline the program in part because it provided the Big Ten with evidence suggesting other conference schools were stealing signs and sharing them with one another.
The commissioner responded to that letter Friday, saying in the notice: "... the University’s November 8 response does not deny that the impermissible scheme occurred. Instead, it offers only procedural and technical arguments designed to delay accountability. The University also argues that because it believes that others are engaged in decoding signs, there must be nothing wrong with the University’s activities. In addition to impermissible activities of others being currently unsupported by facts, the University’s culpability is not dependent on the actions of other institutions."
The University of Michigan released the following statement on Friday:
"Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered. Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the Conference's own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed. We are dismayed at the Commissioner's rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation – one in which we are fully cooperating.
Commissioner Petitti’s hasty action today suggests that this is more about reacting to pressure from other Conference members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and impartially. By taking this action at this hour, the Commissioner is personally inserting himself onto the sidelines and altering the level playing field that he is claiming to preserve. And, doing so on Veterans Day – a court holiday – to try to thwart the University from seeking immediate judicial relief is hardly a profile in impartiality. To ensure fairness in the process, we intend to seek a court order, together with Coach Harbaugh, preventing this disciplinary action from taking effect."
Harbaugh, who sent his own separate response to the NCAA, has denied any knowledge of the scheme. He served a school-imposed, three-game suspension earlier this season for an unrelated and still unresolved NCAA infractions case.
A low-level staffer at the center of the latest investigation, Connor Stalions, recently resigned and through his attorney said that, to his knowledge, none of the Michigan coaches told anyone to break rules or were aware of improper conduct when it came to advance scouting.
The NCAA investigation may not be done until after the season ends with the Jan. 8 national championship game, though the governing body has not provided a timeline.
Michigan (9-0) plays its toughest game of the season on Saturday at No. 9 Penn State. Harbaugh's team has a shot to win a third straight Big Ten title and the school’s first national championship since 1997.
The football program with the most wins in college football history previously said it was prepared to take possible legal action and seek a court order against any punishment handed down by the conference.
The case has shadowed the Wolverines and the College Football Playoff discussion for nearly three weeks.
At the Michigan state House, Reps. Phil Skaggs and Graham Filler were among 11 members of the Michigan Legislature that sent Petitti a letter on Wednesday, urging the Big Ten to give Michigan a “fair, unbiased investigation into allegations,” and to reserve potential punishment until the investigation is complete.
Michigan has said it is cooperating with the NCAA.
The NCAA doesn’t outlaw sign-stealing, but it has rules against in-person scouting of opponents and using electronic equipment to steal signs, which Stalions is reportedly accused of orchestrating.
Big Ten schools have provided the conference and NCAA with records for ticket purchases in Stalions’ name and some video surveillance footage of people sitting in those seats, holding cellphones pointed toward the field.
Big Ten coaches and athletic directors have urged Petitti to discipline Michigan under the conference’s bylaws that cover sportsmanship and competitive integrity.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, appearing on Andy Staples of On3, said a video meeting last week was the first chance for all the conference coaches and the commissioner to talk about the Michigan case.
“I think a lot of people’s lives, livelihoods, jobs, their seasons, players, players’ health, all kinds of things, have been impacted by this,” Rhule said.
"Free Harbaugh. This is so messed up," University of Michigan sophomore Eleanor Wu said.
Fans 7 Action News spoke with Friday night were upset about Harbaugh's suspension, especially with it happening less than 24 hours before game day and right before a holiday weekend.
"I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Michigan football season ticket holder Connor Zimmerman said.
Attorney Mike Nichols, who represented a Michigan State University football player after the tunnel brawl last year, said Harbaugh and his attorneys are going to have to have some tough conversations about the smartest way to move forward.
"Michigan, Michigan State, all of the participants schools, the Ohio State University all agreed to be members of the the conference, which means you kind of have to follow their rules even if the interpretation is somewhat subjective," Nichols said.
Despite this, students Friday night said they trust their Wolverines to cap off a celebrated season successfully.
“I mean, it’s the strongest team we’ve had in years. It’s a once-in-a-generation team. They’re going to kill it, it doesn’t even matter. Go blue,” Wu said.
