Balas expects "positive news on Jim Harbaugh" contract extension

**Balas (and others) Updates**

I am going to be careful to not post details but if you search twitter it looks like non pay type groups are echoing what Balas said but I want to be respectful of the Balas (at least for 24 hours after articles are posted...after that it is what it is, IMO). You pay to get the info ASAP, not to keep it forever private. 

The rumor is very positive and very specific and that the public will hear it soon. Take that for what you will but this was much more than "they will chat soon about re-starting talks".

There is also statements by Balas and others showing overwhelming (with few outliers) of support from BOR and Ono and others for Harbaugh. I mean major support.

Don't feel comfortable posting more specifics until we hit the 24 hour mark :)

I feel like the only way Harbaugh actually gets a new contract during all of this right now is if they are feeling confident not much will happen. Please let it be true.

Since we don’t have a snowflake thread, I am doing this here.

• How does Brian know this is Stalions? We presume this means a known friend and trusted agent confirmed it for him. Wouldn’t hurt to say “confirmed by someone in the know” in his tweet but I guess that’s implied. Minor nitpick.
• Is this one of the things that all the Insiders knew was coming? If so, why let NCAA/OSU leak it on their terms if we know it’s coming out anyway? Why don’t we just do a preemptive info dump so there’s no more drip drip drip?
• For real, what is really going to take so long on this investigation? Is NCAA going to spend a year trying to prove that Jim Harbaugh ordered the code red? Is it really that important to them to find that when they can punish Jim however they want for any violation per their new rule?

Edit: Sorry. Meant to do this in the Stalions picture thread. Oh well.

Get the contract done now, like today now. 
 

Let Harbaugh write the contract for whatever he wants and give it to him. The damage to the program if Jim were to leave would be devastating. 

There is no downside in the U's perspective to extending Coach Harbaugh now.

Let's git 'er done!! Prove the world media wrong and stand behind Jim!

Why would you let Ohio State and its whiny bitch coach along with Jim Stapleton, the backstabbing Jim Stapleton, dictate who your coach is, ever?

if anything, those two should be the biggest endorsement you can get since they’re trying to stop it.

A contract extension announced now would be the biggest FU to all the haters/liars out there.

Would love to see this happen in the next few days.

I did hear from my primary source today. As always, you are free to believe or not believe this. Don’t shoot the messenger. Just sharing what I was told. Everything from Balas here is true. They are trying to move swiftly. Ono wants it done ASAP. My question was - Why?

My source says the reason it is an “ASAP” priority from Michigans side - to protect the school. Ono’s / BoR’s goal is to finalize the “extension” as previously negotiated, albeit tweaked with new termination language in case this all goes bad with the NCAA. On its face, it would be a “we stand with Jim” press release. Deeper, no one wants a contract dispute / lawsuit looming on top of an ncaa investigation. 

As Balas notes, “that depends on Jim signing” - CB indicates this is not a done deal even though both sides allegedly agreed to the overall terms already. So why would that depend if everything was already hammered out? It’s because they are adding this termination language. 

Why would Jim sign with the new language if it limits his contractual rights? Well, Ono and the Regents believe they have Jim in a tough spot. Whether he thinks he’s innocent or not, both sides want/need the extension done. Everyone realized after yesterday that putting it on hold was a bad look for recruiting and could be painted (rightly or wrongly) as indicative of the staffs “perceived guilt.” The NFL “blackball” situation remains fluid, and they feel he doesn’t have many other options anyways. Leverage exists, and they want to use it  

At the same time, this language will define the rights of both sides. If Jim doesn’t want to sign, it would be a bad look given his public comments indicating willingness to finalize (made yesterday). If he refuses to sign (perhaps because he knows he’s aware/involved and the new language may likely be triggered, and does not want to tie his hands, so to speak), I’m told plan B could include the addition of some sort of a settlement payment that triggers upon exercise of the termination rights/ under certain scenarios. My source didn’t know where JH is at in his thinking on all of this, and probably won’t until the language is drafted and sent to Jim’s team to review. 

All in all, they’re trying to work it through quickly and frame it positively (I.e. as “fighting back.”). The goal is to finalize this before any/much more comes out.

If it turns out Stalions was at MSU CMU, there is fear that Jim would be implicated as being aware - it is nearly impossible for staffers to…go “awol”…the night before a game…without HC input. Accordingly, that development could lead to the B1G officially opening an investigation. They want these ducks in a row before that happens. Time will tell. Go blue. 

It was my letters to Warde and Ono that pushed it over the top.

Please lord baby Jesus, let it be a long extension and lots of cash.

I need this so I can watch my rival friends heads explode (and my stupid boss's boss who went to Nebraska but roots for OSU for some reason).

Literally will be Chernobyl x 10 in Columbus if this occurs. Oh please oh please let this happen. 

Yea I don’t buy this. Warde is in Dallas for the CFP selections. Can’t sign without him. And balas has always been iffy with his breaking news