Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh is reportedly nearing a deal to miss a quarter of the team’s games in 2023 after giving false statements to NCAA investigators.
On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports senior college football reporter Ross Dellenger revealed that the biggest name in Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh, will receive a four-game suspension as part of penalties “stemming from alleged false statements he originally made to investigators.”
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The games Harbaugh will miss in his ninth season as the Michigan Wolverines head football coach will include the Sept. 2 season opener against South Carolina. Their Week 2 clash with UNLV. A Sept. 16 matchup versus Bowling Green, and then their first conference game against Rutgers on Sept. 23. All of the matchups are home games.
“The agreement is an initial version of the negotiated resolution and is not yet finalized,” Yahoo reported. “The resolution must now be approved by the NCAA Committee on Infractions, which could take several days if not weeks. The committee has the authority to adjust penalties.”
The Michigan football coach’s ban dates back to late last year and an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations committed by him and Wolverines staff members. The team behind the inquiry claimed that Jim Harbaugh was untruthful when giving statements about alleged violations during his first meeting with them.
After it was clear that he did give false statements, the NCAA tried to set up a quick and quiet resolution, but talks broke down in January after the former San Francisco 49ers and Stanford ball coach refused to admit that he lied to investigators. The 59-year-old has maintained he didn’t recall the first encounter with investigators but that he was never purposefully dishonest.
The Michigan football team is returning many key players from 2022’s 13-win squad and is expected to be a top-five team in the NCAA Top 25 preseason rankings.