Sherrone Moore on Jim Harbaugh, deleted text messages, and NCAA investigation

Chris Breiler | Aug 13, 2024

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Michigan Wolverines

On Tuesday, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore met with the media to discuss a wide range of topics from fall camp. Of course, there was no way he was going to go through the entire press conference without fielding several questions about the ongoing NCAA investigation into the sign-stealing scandal. A recent report by ESPN indicated that Moore could be facing punishment for deleting over 50 text messages with Connor Stalions when news of the sign-stealing scandal first broke, and it's expected that the NCAA will issue its official NOA to Michigan in the near future.

The other topic that made waves in the news recently was the announcement that Jim Harbaugh would be coming back to Ann Arbor to serve as the honorary captain for the season opener against Fresno State on Aug. 31. That news drew plenty of reaction by both fans and members of the media, particularly since the NCAA committee on infractions had issued a four-year show cause penalty and one-year suspension for Harbaugh just two days earlier. As it turns out, Harbaugh will not be returning as the honorary captain for that Week 1 matchup.

Here's everything Moore had to say about the NCAA investigation, the text messages, and the recent reversal on Harbaugh's return.

The ongoing NCAA investigation

"I know there's some questions regarding the whole NCAA investigation and really the statement is we're cooperating with the NCAA fully. We have in the past, will in the future, and we'll continue to do that. Really, right now, it's an ongoing case, and we need to preserve the confidentiality of the proceedings. For that, we're just going to hope you guys understand that. I know there's questions about all that stuff coming up, so anything else to address, I'll address."

The deleted text messages with Connor Stalions

"I'll just say this... I look forward to them being released. And that's it."

Jim Harbaugh not returning as an honorary captain for Week 1

"I actually just talked to Coach yesterday, and really what went into the decision is we made that decision in March, or I think it was January or February, actually. January or February. So it was really to honor him for what he's done for Michigan. I mean, he came back for nine years and took us to where we are now. So it was really to honor him. It was nothing besides that. And yesterday he called me, told me that he didn't feel that he could leave his team in true Coach Harbaugh fashion, and wanted to be in the foxhole with his team and not want to make it look like he was taking a deep, long bow. So he's not going to make it for the game. But we're going to have some of our guys that are there, and then Jack and Jackie Harbaugh are going to take his place. So super excited about that."

The negative press the Michigan Football program has received

"When you're at the bottom, they don't respect you. When you're in the middle, they ignore you. When you're at the top, they hate you. So for us, we're just going to keep rolling."

The impact of recruiting restrictions by NCAA

Yeah, I mean, not much impact. We're just going to keep going. Not much you can do about it, so we're just going to keep rolling.

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