Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL could be getting closer all the time.
According to Brendan Quinn of TheAthletic.com, the Big Ten Conference believes there is “credible evidence” that the Michigan football team has stolen signals from opposing teams’ coaches during the 2023 season.
Per the report, the conference warned Michigan State about the situation on Wednesday, in advance of Saturday’s game between the two teams. Michigan State reacted by suggesting it might not play the game, due to potential health and safety concerns for players. On Thursday, Michigan State said it will proceed with the game.
The NCAA has told Michigan that it’s being investigated. The conference has not yet presented Michigan with evidence.
“Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program,” the Big Ten said in a statement released on Thursday. “The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time.”
Michigan allegedly is using a “vast network” to steal signs. Although in-game sign stealing is not prohibited (unless done electronically), Yahoo.com reports that the allegations relates to off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents. That, for some reason, is prohibited by NCAA bylaws.
In-person scouting of future opponents has been prohibited since 1994, according to Yahoo.com. It was done to save money. Money that can otherwise, you know, not go to the players.
It remains to be seen where this goes from here, both for Michigan and for Harbaugh. Harbaugh already missed three games this year due to a team-imposed suspension arising from allegations of recruiting violations during the pandemic and Harbaugh’s alleged untruthfulness with NCAA investigators.
Harbaugh interviewed with the Vikings in 2022 and the Broncos in 2023. This possibly could be the straw that pushes him back to the NFL.