Last night’s latest reports, released by the Washington Post, into the infamous Michigan football sign-stealing scandal were not great for the Maize and Blue. That said, the report is very vague, though a key detail is included that bodes well for the program: there is still no evidence linking 9th-year head coach Jim Harbaugh to the scandal.
Sign-stealing report reveals some good news for Jim Harbaugh
A major factor in the entire Michigan football sign-stealing scandal so far has been the fact that Jim Harbaugh is not tied to any of the evidence that has been reported so far. It sounds like today is the day that the Wolverines will meet with the NCAA to go over what has been found so far; however, the NCAA is still yet to give Michigan an official notice, meaning the 90-day clock to respond has not started ticking just yet.
While it is becoming clearer that Connor Stalions — the suspended Michigan football staffer who is at the heart of this scandal — was likely not acting alone (or at least, it feels unlikely that no one else knew), Jim Harbaugh is still not linked to anything that has happened thus far. Even last night’s Washington Post report, which was not a good look for the Wolverines, stated that a third-party law firm investigation found no evidence that Harbaugh knew of the sign-stealing situation with Stalions.
Now, on the other hand, Jim Harbaugh will still be held responsible for whatever is found by the NCAA, per an updated rule that was instated earlier this year. That said, the NCAA clarifies that, while Harbaugh will be responsible, punishment will be decided based on how much the head coach actually knew of what was going on.
So, in short, Jim Harbaugh is not completely off the hook just yet, though the latest sign-stealing report on Michigan football keeps Harbaugh in a position of plausible deniability if/when something is to come of all of this.
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