Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh Responds to NCAA Punishment

Valentina Martinez | Aug 9, 2024

Jun 13, 2024; Costa Mesa, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh at a press conference during minicamp at the Hoag Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh didn't have much to say about his NCAA punishment on Thursday.

The former Michigan head coach gave a cryptic response to reporters following practice at The Bolt.

Jim Harbaugh on his latest sanctions from the NCAA: “I’m stopping the engagement there with commenting but my hope is that one day college athletics will be about what’s best for young men and young women.” pic.twitter.com/qw65nmGRLT

— Kris Rhim (@krisrhim1) August 9, 2024

“I’m stopping the engagement there with commenting but my hope is that one day college athletics will be about what’s best for young men and young women,” Harbaugh said.

The NCAA report, released on Wednesday, stated that the former Wolverines coach violated a number of rules that dealt with recruiting, inducement, unethical conduct, and failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance. The four-year show-cause penalty was a direct consequence of the program's recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period.

The punishments didn't stop there. If Harbaugh were ever to make his way back to college football, he would face an immediate suspension for an entire season.

Despite the steep reprimands, Harbaugh appears to be unbothered by the fuss from the NCAA and will no longer comment on the situation further.

Harbaugh has repeatedly denied any involvement in the situation and has voiced his innocence several times.

"Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson," Harbaugh said earlier this week. "I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams that I have coached. No one is perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right.

Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So, it's back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind."

The former Michigan coach served two suspensions of three games for a number of violations throughout the 2023 season with the Wolverines. Harbaugh was absent for the first three games of the year.

The Los Angeles head coach brought a number of his staff at Michigan to the Chargers including defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The punishments at the college program have not yielded in Harbaugh's absence. Sherrone Moore, a former offensive coordinator to Harbaugh, is facing a potential NCAA reprimand before his first season as head coach at Michigan. Moore faces accusations of being one of the seven Michigan staff that violated NCAA rules in the alleged sign-stealing scandal.

Harbaugh's contention with the NCAA's reprimands almost ensures that his innocence. But whether the harsh reprimands by the NCAA stain Harbaugh's career or legacy, Michigan still had a historical season led by the great coach.