NCAA punishes Harbaugh for 'unethical conduct'

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The NCAA announced a four-year show-cause order for former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh on Wednesday for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NCAA said that Harbaugh, who left his alma mater to coach the Los Angeles Chargers after last season's national championship, "engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance and violated head coach responsibility obligations."

The NCAA had already put Michigan on three years of probation along with a fine and recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution that was approved by the committee on infractions in the same matter.

Harbaugh did not go along with the agreement, disputing allegations that he failed to cooperate with investigators. Harbaugh's attorney, Tom Mars, has said the coach was not invited to participate in the settlement process or aware that an agreement had been reached between the school and the NCAA.

"The panel noted that Harbaugh's intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct amplified the severity of the case and prompted the panel to classify Harbaugh's case as Level I-Aggravated, with penalties to include a four-year show-cause order. Subsumed in the show-cause order is a one-season suspension for Harbaugh," the NCAA said.

The show-cause order covers 2024-28 and would require a school wanting to hire Harbaugh to suspend him for the first full season. After that, Harbaugh would be barred from athletics-related activities, including team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings until the order expires.

The recruiting case is separate from the NCAA's investigation into impermissible in-person scouting and sign stealing that roiled Michigan's national championship season in 2023 and resulted in a three-game suspension of Harbaugh by the Big Ten.

The multiple cases could open up Michigan to being deemed a repeat violator by the NCAA, which could trigger harsher sanctions. The fine was not announced, although NCAA guidelines call for a fine of $5,000 for mitigated Level I violations.