It has been a whirlwind of a last year or so for former Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines. Harbaugh and his staff were the subject of an investigation of sign stealing by the NCAA this past year which resulted in the coach undergoing a self imposed suspension, but despite that, Michigan cruised to their first national championship in decades by season's end.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the NCAA had punished Harbaugh “for impermissible contact with recruits and players while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic,” meaning that he will be unable to have any association with college football until 2028, per ESPN.
One person who is fed up with the continued controversy surrounding the now Los Angeles Chargers head coach is none other than ESPN sports media personality Paul Finebaum, who recently took to First Take to relay his thoughts.
“I think he looks like a liar. I think he looks terrible,” said Finebaum, per First Take on X, formerly Twitter. “But the public is not seeing it the same way we are. We're critics. We know when these people are lying and we actually care. College football fans don't, and I think he's going to get away with it… Jim Harbaugh won. It doesn't matter how many rules he violated. Doesn't matter how despicable his character has been. It doesn't matter how many times he has lied. He got away with it.”
A complicated legacy
While there can be no arguing with the results he produced for Michigan football, culminating in 2024's championship victory over the Washington Huskies, the frequent allegations and scandals surrounding Harbaugh's coaching ethics during his time with the Wolverines will certainly hang a cloud over what he was able to accomplish with the program.
When he departed this past offseason in order to return to the NFL and take the Chargers job, many speculated that it was a ploy to try to escape the wrath of whatever the NCAA might conclude regarding their ongoing investigations, which could have potentially included even more suspensions or even a ban if Harbaugh had remained the head coach at Michigan football.
The big question now is whether or not Michigan will be able to hold on to the championship victory they now have to their names, as the NCAA has a history of vacating championship wins in the past due to rule violations. If that is going to be the case, however, it's unlikely to happen anytime soon.
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