Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy Wears His Grievance Over Jim Harbaugh’s Suspension

The Wolverines quarterback made it explicitly clear how he feels about not having his head coach on the sidelines for Saturday’s game.
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy Wears His Grievance Over Jim Harbaugh’s Suspension
Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy Wears His Grievance Over Jim Harbaugh’s Suspension /
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Michigan will take the field for Saturday’s opener against ECU without coach Jim Harbaugh, who is set to begin a self-imposed three-game suspension for alleged recruiting infractions.

Though the two-time defending Big Ten champs may be without their sideline leader, one of their leaders on the field is making sure Harbaugh’s name doesn’t go forgotten as the 2023 season gets underway. 

Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy proudly led his team off the bus Saturday morning while wearing a makeshift “Free Harbaugh” t-shirt. The team’s starting signal-caller wasn’t the only one to rep his suspended coach as a number of other players were seen rocking various pieces of clothing with Harbaugh’s name front and center.

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McCarthy didn’t leave the shirt in the locker room when he got off the bus. A bit later in the morning, the junior quarterback was seen out on the field in the Big House, warming up with custom apparel still on.

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Given the fact that Harbaugh willingly placed the suspension upon himself after negotiations with the NCAA over a punishment fell apart, college football media members and fans naturally found themselves a bit confused by McCarthy’s bold outfit choice, leading to quite a few hilarious reactions on social media. Here are some of the best.

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.