ESPN Host Angered By Statement From Michigan Football Coach

On Monday, we heard from ninth-year Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh at Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor, MI — it was the first time that Harbaugh spoke since the Big Ten Conference suspended him from the Wolverines’ sideline for the rest of the regular season on Friday afternoon. There, Harbaugh explained that, due to Michigan’s ability to face adversity and overcome it during its win over Penn State last weekend, Michigan is “America’s team.” Of course, once ESPN host Paul Finebaum caught wind of this, he appeared on the infamous sports network and complained about it.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh calls his Wolverines “America’s team”

Amid scandal and a battle with the Big Ten Conference, Jim Harbaugh claimed on Monday that Michigan football is “America’s team.” Below is his direct quote from Monday’s press conference.

“I mean, yeah — watching, I would have to say (Michigan football) has got to be America’s team. It’s got to be America’s team,” Jim Harbaugh said yesterday afternoon. “America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, overcomes the naysayers and critics, (the) so-called experts I think is my favorite kind of team. Watching it from that view on the television, finally, people get to see what I see every day (from) these players and these coaches.”

ESPN Host Paul Finebaum was upset about Harbaugh’s comments

Not long after Jim Harbaugh left his press conference, Paul Finebaum appeared on ESPN to voice his anger with what Harbaugh said and more. Of course, social media was also not too happy with Harbaugh’s “America’s team” comparison, but Finebaum took things to another level.

“I found it sad and pathetic,” Finebaum said of Harbaugh’s Monday comments. “Why? Because (Michigan football) isn’t America’s team. This isn’t what America’s about. Here we are, just days removed from Veteran’s Day, where we honor people who are really representative of America. This team is not representative of anything other than a program accused of cheating. Cheating!

“… There is only so much fake outrage you can display, and I think we saw a year’s worth from his assistant coaches and players (against Penn State),” Finebaum added. “(Jim Harbaugh) is a football coach. Sure, you’re gonna go to war for him, but the University (of Michigan) has a different agenda. While everybody is ‘we’re against the world’ and mad and trying to canonize Jim Harbaugh, playing the victim card on national television — there’s a reason (Michigan is) in this mess. Let’s not forget that.”

Doesn’t matter — Michigan football moves on

Regardless of what any ESPN talking head or social media fan page has to say about Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh right now, the 3rd-ranked Wolverines (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) move on. On Friday, the University of Michigan faces the Big Ten Conference in the courtroom in its push for a temporary restraining order (TRO) which will allow Harbaugh to return from suspension and finish out the season with his Wolverines.

Even if the TRO is rejected, Sherrone Moore is 2-0 as interim Michigan football coach this season, including a crucial two-score road win over Penn State last weekend. As Harbaugh said yesterday, in the case of his absence from the sidelines against Maryland and Ohio State over the next two weekends, Sherrone Moore is the next man up and will be asked to lead U-M through the tough times.

Thank you for reading Blue by Ninety. For more Michigan Athletics and Big Ten content from Blue by Ninety, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also subscribe to our YouTube Channel. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at [email protected]. Also, be sure to check out our shop and our podcast, which is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all other streaming platforms. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing and most influential Michigan media outlets there is!