Harbaugh Says He Is Free of Any Misconduct

© Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the media on Aug. 5 after the leak of NCAA allegations concerning the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. Harbaugh emphatically denied any wrongdoing.

No Apology From Harbaugh

Speaking at the Los Angeles Chargers practice facility in El Segundo, Calif., Harbaugh stated, "Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate. I was not aware nor complicit in those ... allegations. So for me, it's back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind." He said his credo is honesty and fair play: "Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams I’ve coached. No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right."

In the NCAA's leaked Notice of Allegations (NOA), Harbaugh is charged with committing a Level 1 violation. Specifically, the NCAA alleges that Harbaugh refused to cooperate with its investigation into the sign-stealing scandal by denying it access to his voicemail and text messages.

After the sign-stealing allegations came to light during the 2023 season, the Big Ten Conference conducted its own investigation and suspended Harbaugh for the final 3 games of the regular season. That was Harbaugh's second 3-game suspension of the season. The first was the result of an unrelated NCAA investigation concerning recruiting violations.

On Jan. 24, Harbaugh left Michigan to take over coaching duties for the Chargers.

Harbaugh's successor in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sherrone Moore, is also implicated in the sign-stealing scandal and is accused of deleting text messages to cover up wrongdoing.

Mixed Reactions

Pundits have offered mixed reactions to Harbaugh's protestation of innocence. Most have expressed the view that Harbaugh is not being candid. Skip Bayless complemented Harbaugh's coaching ability but invoked Pinocchio when discussing his disavowal of any complicity in the sign-stealing saga.

Paul Finebaum sang a similar tune, characterizing Harbaugh's remarks to the media as a fine acting performance, but labeling Harbaugh a "pathological liar."

On the other hand, ESPN's Mike Greenberg took to Harbaugh's defense, stating, "I’ve known Jim Harbaugh for 32 years. If he was on trial right now and he, in his own defense, made that statement exactly that way in the witness box[,] I would acquit him.... I’d be the holdout juror.... I recognize that it probably makes me sound ridiculous. But the way he said it, I believe him."

Upcoming Documentary

The allegations underlying the sign-stealing scandal are that Stalions, a former member of the Wolverines' recruiting staff, ran a scheme for over 2 years in which he and accomplices digitally recorded play signals of future Michigan opponents. Advance recording of opponents' signals violates NCAA rules.

Stalions has not yet publicly shared his side of the story. The only statement made on his behalf was issued by his attorney after he was fired last fall.

Stalions' silence is about to come to an end. Netflix is preparing to air a documentary entitled "Sign-Stealer." In a trailer for the program, a tantalizing quote is attributed to Stalions: "If I’m the bad guy, then everyone in football is a bad guy."

“Sign-Stealer” is set to be released on Aug. 27 on Netflix.

Stay tuned to College Football Dawgs for continued coverage of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal and other exciting college football news.