Chargers' Jim Harbaugh Named Honorary Captain of Michigan Despite NCAA Punishment

Sam Garcia | Aug 9, 2024

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

All of the drama surrounding the Michigan football program’s long list of NCAA rule violations did not stop the Wolverines from selecting their former head coach as the 2024 honorary captain. 

It was announced by reporter Rachel Hopmayer on X that Jim Harbaugh will serve as the honorary captain for the reigning national champions during their season opener.

Amongst all the chatter, yes, Jim Harbaugh has accepted Michigan football's invite to be the honorary captain for their home opener on Aug. 31 vs Fresno State. This was first announced back in January but I know has come up again recently. Plan remains the same: to honor Jim.

— Rachel Hopmayer (@rachelhopmayer) August 9, 2024

The season opener comes at a convenient time for the new NFL coach. Harbaugh will lead the Chargers through their first two preseason games before returning to his alma mater in Ann Arbor. After the Chargers' second game on Aug. 24, Los Angeles will have two weeks off from games until the regular season begins on Sept. 15 against the Carolina Panthers.

The decision to make Harbaugh the honorary captain is controversial considering the recent allegations Harbaugh has faced.

Last December, the NCAA sent Michigan a notice of allegations that detailed several rule violations the team committed. Some of the allegations include sign-stealing and impermissible contact with recruits during the COVID-19 dead period. 

Harbaugh, who led the program at the time, found himself at the center of the allegations. After receiving a draft of the allegations in Jan. 2023, the NCAA and Michigan initially agreed on a four-game suspension for Harbaugh in the 2023 season. 

However, the suspension deal was terminated a few months later in Aug. 2023. That was when Michigan dealt Harbaugh a self-imposed three-game suspension. In addition to the self-imposed suspension, the Big Ten conference suspended Harbaugh for the last three games of the 2023 season as a result of the sign-stealing scandal. This suspension was unrelated to the impermissible contact violation.

Harbaugh’s two suspensions and the investigation did not seem to faze the Wolverines as they claimed the 2023 National Championship title in the same year.

Since the national championship, Harbaugh was issued a Level II violation for the impermissible contact. Additionally, Harbaugh received the harshest punishment, a Level I violation, for his unethical conduct and failing to cooperate with investigators. As a result, Harbaugh was given a four-year show-cause and a one-year suspension from NCAA football on Wednesday. This penalty will carry over to any NCAA program Harbaugh tries to go to and will span until Aug. 6, 2028.

However, Harbaugh is now an NFL coach for the Chargers, so he will not be affected by the four-year show-cause unless he decides to return to collegiate football before 2028.