Michigan football program ready to bring in massive law firm

The University of Michigan football program will have to respond to the Big Ten Conference today in regard to its formal notice of potential punishment, which was issued earlier this week. As Jim Harbaugh gets his No. 3 Wolverines ready to face off against the No. 10 Penn State Nittany Lions in Happy Valley this weekend, U-M leadership is clearly taking no chances with potential punishment for Michigan amid the investigation. Today, a new report from ESPN states that the school plans to consult with Williams & Connolly — one of the nation’s premier litigation law firms, based out of Washington DC.

Michigan football program ready to bring in massive law firm

New reports show that the University of Michigan is taking no chances when it comes to the legal defense of Michigan football and head coach Jim Harbaugh. Per ESPN, U-M leadership is ready to bring in Williams & Connolly, a massive DC-based law firm that is regarded as one of the top litigating firms in the country, to consult on the case and more. Separately, the report says that Jim Harbaugh may also stick with long-time attorney Tom Mars, who has represented Harbaugh and many others in the NCAA community in past years.

From the report:

“According to multiple sources, the university plans to consult with attorneys from Williams & Connolly, a large, national firm based in Washington, to weigh their legal options. Harbaugh hired attorney Tom Mars to help with a different NCAA investigation and suspension earlier this year. Mars has served as an attorney for several coaches and college athletes battling the NCAA over eligibility issues or sanctions.”

If the Big Ten is to take action, the University of Michigan will reportedly take legal action against the conference if they deem it to be too harsh. There is speculation surrounding what U-M is willing to accept as punishment in-season, if anything, though Santa Ono’s email to the Big Ten Conference suggests that Michigan wants to see the investigation play out entirely before anything is done.

Additionally, last night, Michigan turned over evidence to the Big Ten that other schools — including Ohio State — were colluding against them to steal their signs in previous seasons, especially towards the conference title game in 2022. That makes everything even messier for the conference and its new commissioner, Tony Petitti, who has been thrown into the fire with this issue.

Lastly, it is worth noting that while the Big Ten may take action, there is no evidence linking Jim Harbaugh to Connor Stalions‘ alleged sign-stealing scheme, so punishment for Harbaugh is not expected to hold up in a court of law. That is the speculation for the time being, at least.

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