Michigan football legend Desmond Howard gives his thoughts on Harbaugh suspension

The Jim Harbaugh suspension, which is yet to be finalized but appears highly likely to remove the Wolverines’ head coach for four games of the 2023 season, has taken the college football world by storm. ‘Burgergate,’ as it has become known by the fans, is getting many fans and analysts riled up at the NCAA — one of whom is Michigan football legend Desmond Howard, a former Heisman Trophy winner for the Maize and Blue.

Michigan football legend Desmond Howard chimes in on the Jim Harbaugh suspension

Michigan football legend Desmond Howard is royalty in Ann Arbor, and rightfully so. Until a few years ago, he was the only wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy — one of only three Michigan standouts to ever win college football’s most prestigious award. Now, as an analyst, Howard has a large platform to talk about college football, which he recently used to give his thoughts on the Jim Harbaugh suspension.

“I think that this is a situation where, as Pete (Thamel) said, it was a level two allegation initially. Someone’s feelings got hurt, their ego got crushed. So they moved it up to a level one,” Howard said told Mike Greenburg this morning. “They tried to punk or bully Harbaugh into participating. He didn’t participate at the level that they expected, that they wanted him to. So now they moved it to a level one and you’re talking about a four-game suspension. Now they have to negotiate that. Because it seems as though the NCAA didn’t like Coach Harbaugh’s answers to their allegations.

“… I don’t think so,” Howard continued. “Pete Thamel reported that — because he can’t coach in the games — he still can prepare his team, (he can) coach them every day of the week leading up to the games. So he’s not coaching on Saturday. Their schedule is pretty light in the first four games. So I really don’t think it’ll have that type of effect on the team, on the schedule, or the season.

“It’s damn near impossible to get Paul Finebaum to compliment Jim Harbaugh on anything. But even Paul Finebaum said this is a ‘clown show’ by the NCAA,” Howard concluded. “This is Paul saying, this is his words — I agree with Paul.”

Like many Michigan football fans, Desmond Howard is clearly unhappy with how the NCAA is handling the Jim Harbaugh situation, especially when they seem to be disregarding infractions that are much worse from other schools, such as Tennessee.

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