Harbaugh Again Urges Athlete Revenue Sharing

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been a proponent of NCAA sharing revenue with players

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has the No. 1-seeded Wolverines headed to the College Football Playoff but he took a moment on Sunday to continue to urge the NCAA to share the wealth with players across the country.

Harbaugh was one of the first coaches ESPN interviewed after the College Football Playoff field was unveiled. The No. 1 Wolverines will play No. 4 Alabama in the Rose Bowl and No. 2 Washington will face No. 3 Texas in the Sugar Bowl. Both games are set for New Year’s Day.

While Harbaugh was appreciative of his 13-0 and Big Ten champion Wolverines being the No. 1 seed, he took the opportunity once again to bring up how revenue is distributed in the game.

As he told ESPN that winning titles like these are about players and not coaches, he reminded them that the time has come to consider sharing that revenue with players.

“As you make those comments, I want you to remember – it’s the players. Don’t forget to give them a share of the revenue,” Harbaugh said.

While players are able to leverage their Name, Image and Likeness to make money - and big-time programs like Michigan have collectives to help those players leverage NIL - Harbaugh is talking about the television contracts and the playoff revenue that drive the engine of the sport.

That money goes to the College Football Playoff, the conferences and the programs — but not to the players. He has previously said he would be willing to take less money if players got a share and is, for the moment, against reining in NIL.

Harbaugh returned to the sideline for the Big Ten Championship Game against Iowa on Saturday after serving a three-game suspension handed down by the Big Ten as part of the NCAA’s investigation into alleged sign-stealing by a Michigan analyst, Connor Stallions.