Michigan officials announced that the school is terminating its lawsuit against the Big Ten and withdrawing its appeal of football coach Jim Harbaugh’s three-game suspension. The Big Ten consented to end its inquiry into accusations of sign-stealing in exchange.
The two parties were scheduled to appear in court on Friday. The university was requesting an injunction that would have permitted Harbaugh to watch the Saturday game against Maryland from the sidelines. “The University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten have settled their ongoing legal dispute this morning.
In a statement, Michigan said that the Conference chose to end its investigation, the University and Coach Harbaugh accepted the three-game ban, and Harbaugh “decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field.”
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for three games last Friday amid an investigation into allegations of sign-stealing and in-person scouting by at least one former member of his staff. At the time, the Big Ten said there was no evidence linking Harbaugh to wrongdoing but that he was suspended as the face of the program.
“The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations.”
Michigan’s statement read:
“The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.”
In its own statement, the Big Ten said Michigan’s action is “indicative of the high standards and values that the Conference and the University seek to uphold.
“The University of Michigan is a valued member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Conference will continue to work cooperatively with the university and the NCAA during this process,” the statement said. The Big Ten suspension was only for games, meaning Harbaugh can coach in practice throughout the week. He was not present when No. 3 Michigan defeated then-No. 10 Penn State on the road. The Wolverines travel to Maryland this weekend and then face No. 2 Ohio State at home, with a berth in the Big Ten title game—and potentially the College Football Playoff—on the line.
Sherrone Moore, the offensive coordinator who guided the Wolverines against Penn State, will take over as head coach in an acting capacity when Maryland visits. Michigan football would record its 1,000th victory in school history with a win.
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