Jim Harbaugh tends to respond to his critics with plenty of panache. But when NCAA President Mark Emmert criticized the Michigan football coach Friday about the school’s trip to Florida for spring practices, he took a more serious tack.
Emmert, speaking to University of South Carolina Board of Trustee members Friday, had this to say about Harbaugh taking his players away from campus for the practices: “They’re having a hard time being students and doing what students want to do (h/t AP, via ctpost.com).
In response (though he did not name names), Harbaugh took to his now famous Twitter account to address Emmert’s concerns:
There R B-Ball teams & other NCAA teams that spend summer breaks traveling to countries around the world for team bonding & team development
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 20, 2016
It's an amazing opportunity for the S.A. – ACC teams may have experienced such trips. How is football traveling to Bradenton so different?
— Coach Harbaugh (@CoachJim4UM) February 20, 2016
These are salient points. Also, it is rather interesting that the only people who have vocalized concerns are people outside the University of Michigan.
To this point, we have yet to hear any student/athletes or their parents complaining about a trip to Florida this spring, or about the results of Harbaugh’s antics that have resulted in one of the most impressive 2016 recruiting classes in the nation.
Another interesting tidbit of information that came out Friday is that, for the first time ever, Michigan’s spring game will be played under the lights at night to close out spring practices.
Harbaugh isn’t a perfect man, but he sure knows what he’s doing as the head coach at Michigan.