Harbaugh through his lawyer responds. Lord.
Tom Mars, Harbaugh lawyer:
“Coach Harbaugh filed a lengthy response to the NOA, which unfortunately has not been made public. I see that Michigan changed its position to get this resolved, which is not surprising. I can almost hear the wheels of the bus going ‘whomp, whomp.’” https://t.co/JBcWXrs9eo— angelique (@chengelis) April 16, 2024
So save to say Jim's not very happy with how this was handled by Michigan. WOW.
Can't say it's surprising...
Probably not Warde's decision, but maybe a place where he could have made a legacy (even if he got fired for it) by siding with coach.
Water under the bridge now, and I'm optimistic about Sherrone. But it feels like some institutional courage would have made a huge (championship) difference for the coming season.
Yeah, lets forgo a nominal slap on the wrist and let this keep hanging over our head and risk a bigger punishment just for feelings.
Once Harbaugh left, there is zero reason not to settle. And once again, the only reason Harbaugh left was the NFL period.
Also, it's reading in a GREAT DEAL to assume Harbaugh's royally pissed. Mars says it's not surprising, hello. . .
Don't make yesterday's headlines tomorrow's news. Get it closed and move forward. Onward.
Didn't Canham have a saying about not turning a one-day story into a two-day story?
Canham knew how to ignore a story.
Ouch.
Hey Warde —- stop trying to tell people he was certainly leaving for the NFL.
If the AD had shown him any love at any point, he’s still the coach. He has one bad season around Covid and the get threatened and his pay cut in half. That jackass maneuver is why Harbaughs gone. He got treated like crap and he left when his opportunity presented itself.
Fire Warde
I tend to agree with the body of this post. But without knowing more, I still won't quite jump on the #firewarde train. Yet. Though I do lean in that general direction.
What sort of delusional history rewriting bullshit is this?
More than half the fanbase, including folks on this blog, whated Harbaugh gone in 2020. I hate Warde in many ways, but he did good not firing Harbaugh as many demanded.
On top of that you think coach would have stayed instead of going to the Chargers? That is some excellent stuff you're smoking there.
So, all those statements about being wanted were all a smokescreen? If your supervisor didn't support you, like ever, would you not explore other employment options?
All the people who wanted Harbaugh fired spoke out. 9, 10, 20 million fans that wanted him at MIchigan didn't waste their breath. At one time, I was ok if they let Jim go but I never wanted him fired. One bad year doesn't get a winning coach fired.
I fully believe that if harbaugh was the AD he would’ve fired harbaugh the coach after the covid year. The record against non-osu rivals was not great, and the record agains osu was shit. The Covid year had a lot of challenges, but to get beaten by the worst msu team I’ve ever seen, and take some OT to beat Rutgers was not a good sign.
So his contract was extend with a lower base pay, and incentives to make top 5 salaries. A cursory look at some internet sources show that he made more than Lincoln in 2021 with bonuses considered. So why didn’t Jim go to another team who would appreciate him more after the 2020 season? Why didn’t he jump to the nfl?
It’s because no one gave him a better offer. I don’t like warde and want him to be fired, but I hate the narrative that Michigan didn’t show jim enough love. No major programs wanted jim after 2020. Shit, I’d say most Michigan didn’t want him. But the athletic department had faith in him and gave him the opportunity to be a top 5 college coach.
April 16th, 2024 at 11:33 PM ^
You can't look on the Covid year as anything normal. Just to recap, Michigan had just put 4/5th of its Offensive Line into the NFL. Gone was 2 year starting QB, Shea Patterson. Off to the NFL was Donovan Peoples Jones. Nico Collins was sitting out the year. I can't remember who on the defense was gone. Losing that would have been hard enough during a regular season, toss in no Spring game or practices. Limited summer contact. Abbreviated fall training camp. If Michigan had a veteran team, I doubt the losses would have been as bad as they were.
I agree. The "Covid" season was nonsense. Shouldn't even be in the books.
This is just such a misguided, delusional take but if it makes you feel better to have a scapegoat, that's good. The snakeoil salesmen (social media whores) are there to profit off people like you.
He would have left for the NFL regardless but looks like Warde did nothing to support him when he was here. I disagree with settling. Fight it like Tennessee and then there probably isn't recruiting restrictions and probation.
I think it's ridiculous to assume Harbaugh was leaving under any circumstances. If Michigan's administration had backed Harbaugh throughout his tenure rather than being the spineless bureaucrats they were, I wouldn't be surprised if he were still here.
You are ignoring that he spent three years practically begging to go to the NFL and believed he had an accepted job the year prior. I just don’t understand why a certain subset of this fan base thinks that if Warde would’ve just had rose petals dropped in front of his feet when he walked that he would still be here
And you’re ignoring the possibility that part of his motivation to look for NFL jobs was because he was frustrated working for Warde.
Bullshit. Lol... tell us more Chris Balas.
Remember the deafening silence from Warde after Jim and Wolverines got hosed at OSU? Warde's coach was penalized during a football game for a basketball violation and Warde says nothing.
What's ridiculous is to assume you actually have a clue if the admin backed him or it did not. What's your source? The snakeoil salesmen lining their pockets with clickbait that has zero truth? JH nor anyone related to him has ever indicated what you state as fact so that means it's just a bunch of bullshit smoke.
That’s not fair to the new coaching staff. They should not have to deal with the distraction that was not caused by them. This is the way. I am sure glad most of you guys are not the AD. Michigan would be the laughing stock of college basketball.
If the only reason he left was the NFL, why is he even responding to this?
Definitely part of the reason he left was this very institutional corruption (NCAA) and cowardice (Mich).
He didn't respond to this. This is just Tom Mars attention seeking.
Note Mars says he responded to the NOA (notice of allegations) - which was like a year ago.
Cowardice? Good god, you accuse someone of cowardice with zero facts, only the musings of clickbait whores lining their pockets on the easily manipulated.
Who is the coward?
the only reason Harbaugh left was the NFL period
Unless you are actually Jim Harbaugh himself, I don’t know how you can state this for a fact.
The NFL was certainly a reason, and quite probably the biggest one, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have others.
So, take the slap on the wrist for the safety of moving on? A bully keeps coming until you punch them in the nose.
I’d rather stand with my coach and players. Have a backbone (not directed at you).. but once again, the NCAA showed they knew Michigan would bend over and take it
No offense to Jim, but he doesn't work for UM anymore. So they couldn't care less what he thinks.
Nor should they at this point. We're forgetting that he was not only at the helm during the infractions but committed a few of them himself.
Why do you think “we’re forgetting” I think what you think is forgotten is common knowledge.
You're usually far too percipient, Wendy. People here enjoy being part of the lynch mob, and don't often even care what the subject is, as long as they can warm their hands beside the fire of something they feel that they belong to. It's primitive, but near-universal, especially during these tribal times.
This is so weird.
I had a feeling this was you responding to you based on the language/writing.
Then I checked and both accounts were created at the exact same time.
Why do people do this?
You're saying that Wendy and I are the same person? Long time visitors to the site will have a good hoot over this. Hope no detective agency ever hires you; you would not be good at the job.
I'm an old-school A2 left-liberal professional who went to Huron. Wendy is, I'm pretty sure, a woman, a lawyer (?), much more centrist, and level-headed. I have been admiring her/their posts, sometimes saying so, for a while. She's one of those people who, if you're NOT running back and forth screaming with the lemmings, stakes out the kind of common ground this country desperately needs. She can, hopefully will, speak for herself, but she's one of the people who pointed out--as I did--while the torches and pitchforks were being pointed in all directions by the Kabuki people--that we had brought a lot of our woes upon ourselves. NEVER hand your opponent a stick to beat you with. On that, she and I most definitely agree.
Sounds like all the rumors of Warde not having his back are confirmed in this statement.
That's exactly how I read it too. Hence the "Lord".
Wouldn't it signal the opposite? Mars is saying Warde has now changed course.
In essence, as long as Harbaugh was at Michigan, Warde had his back. Once Harbaugh was no-longer at Michigan, it was time to put this to bed.
Exactly. Not sure why Mars is under the impression Michigan would or should jeopardize its own interests to protect the feelings of a former employee, but then again, this is the lawyer who plagiarized a MGoBlog post in his letter to the Big Ten.
Harbaugh left. He chose to leave. And second, Warde doesn’t act unilaterally on something like this. If anyone blames only him, they’re showing their bias against him.
I think you two are both right to varying degrees, but we'll never know enough of the details to work it out precisely.
Again, common sense is not what anyone's looking for at the moment. In the heat of the moment, the mob just wants to string somebody up. Woe betide anyone who tells them they're. . . a mob.
Great - Lost our coach to make the overreaching overlords of college sports happy.
Well it did get Warde selected as the head of the CFP Committee...
I am not pleased to read an actual UM related piece that can be easily confused with an Onion article.
One always has to adjust their Tom Mars filter in situations like this, but yes, it appears that Michigan decided it was more useful to make things easier for the people still employed by the university (including its current head coach) than for another person who is not.
Yeah, but it still pisses me off. Not that that really matters…
Why? It's the pragmatic move.
Harbaugh doesn't coach here anymore, and likely never will again. Throw him under the bus to put the people still here on the best path possible. It's not even a hard choice.
Which makes sense. There's no sense burdening current coaches with unnecessary penalties to fight for the honor of coaches that aren't here anymore.
But the frustrating thing is the thought that this repeated failure to stand up to the NCAA's (and B1G's) bullshit is in part what pushed those coaches out the door in the first place...
Except there is a second issue out there. Is there any assurances that the second issue will not be used as fuel for a more aggressive response? The optics are easy - Michigan has a pattern of issues in the football program that needs to be addressed and nipped. The NCAA is a feckless institution that the AD of Michigan just allowed it to be BOHICA'd.