Big Ten head coach attacks Jim Harbaugh over latest sign-stealing report

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On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports published a report providing some insight into Michigan's 130-page response to the NCAA over sign-stealing allegations relating to former staffer Connor Stalions. The report suggests that Michigan plans on fighting the NCAA on nearly all of the accusations, and accuses the NCAA itself of an overreach relating to many of its claims.

Not long after the report surfaced, folks on social media once again began debating the never-ending sign-stealing saga in Ann Arbor. And while its not uncommon to see fans engage in debate, it's noteworthy that a current Big Ten head coach decided to jump in to that debate head first. Bret Bielema, current head coach of the Illinois Fighting Illini, used the opportunity to take a shot at former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.

RELATED: Michigan accuses NCAA of overreach, plans to fight allegations relating to sign-stealing

It's worth noting that Bielema's method to do this was by retweeting something from a guy who is little more than a professional social media troll, but I digress. Sharing an old video of Jim Harbaugh with the 49ers, Bielema had this to say:

"Really .... Why did you leave? Was looking forward to playing but understand why you ran to the NFL. See you in the future and can't wait."

Bielema continued to tweet and retweet things throughout the night relating to the sign-stealing controversy, suggesting he definitely has a personal interest in the outcome. It's hard to say exactly why he decided to go specifically after Harbaugh, but there's certainly a lengthy history of Harbaugh rubbing people the wrong way - particularly opposing head coaches.

As for the report itself, Michigan is clearly going to fight the NCAA and all of its allegations. The outcome of this process is anyone's guess, but with neither side seemingly willing to budge, it's setting up for a massive battle between two juggernauts.

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Chris Breiler
CHRIS BREILER

Christopher Breiler launched Winged Helmet Media and began covering the Michigan Football program in an unofficial capacity in 2017. He then joined Wolverine Digest as part of the FanNation network in 2021 as a contributing writer, where he served as both a writer and a photographer on game days. In 2024, he took over as the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI. His love for Michigan Football brought him into the industry, and his passion for being a content creator has led to some amazing experiences along the way.