Tempering expectations for Jim Harbaugh at Big Ten media day tomorrow

Tomorrow, I will be making the trip from Ann Arbor, MI, all the way down to Indianapolis, IN, to cover Big Ten Media Day for Blue by Ninety. The smell of football is in the air for college football fans right now, and with media day, team camp, and much more beginning within the next week, tomorrow will mark the unofficial start of the 2023 season for the Wolverines. That said, with a suspension looming for Jim Harbaugh and other Michigan football coaches, let’s temper expectations for Michigan’s media day appearance.

Don’t expect anything non-football related from Jim Harbaugh at Big Ten media day tomorrow

Yesterday, it was reported that the NCAA is coming after Jim Harbaugh and a few other staff members pretty hard ahead of the 2023 college football season for alleged Level 1 violations from a few years ago. For Jim Harbaugh, this process will likely result in a four-game suspension for himself, as well as suspensions for other coordinators, such as offensive play-caller Sherrone Moore.

With this huge news breaking two days before Michigan football takes the podium for Big Ten Media Day, the timing here is not the best for the Wolverines. That said, there probably won’t be much said regarding the suspensions or NCAA during tomorrow’s press conference.

Yesterday, Jim Harbaugh’s legal defense put out the following statement:

“We are continuing to work cooperatively with the NCAA staff on an enforcement matter,” Jim Harbaugh’s attorney Tom Mars wrote, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN. “At this time, we are not allowed to comment on possible penalties or other aspects of the matter.”

Michigan football content is coming, but the suspension will likely be danced around

Tomorrow, regardless of how many questions and variations of the question are asked regarding the NCAA’s pending suspension against Michigan’s head coach, I expect that Tom Mars’ statement will be repeated over and over. For the time being, there isn’t much that Michigan football or Jim Harbaugh can do, and when it comes to Big Ten Media Day, expectations must be tempered.

If you’re looking forward to tons of new football content coming out of Big Ten Media Day, you will likely be in luck. That said, if you’re looking for a ground-breaking statement or clarity on the NCAA’s punishment from Jim Harbaugh or his three Michigan football representatives, you are likely going to come away disappointed.

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