ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — It’s now official. Jim Harbaugh has coached his last game at the Big House for the 2023 season. The University of Michigan and Harbaugh have accepted the Big Ten's 3-game suspension after previously vowing to fight it.
On campus in Ann Arbor, the drama of the last month is already plastered on t-shirts with a phrase heard around town.
“Free Harbaugh," said UM Student Gabriel Giddings. "I'm slightly confused about why they’re accepting it. I think we should of at least put up some sort of fight.”
The suspension from the Big Ten has many fans up in arms.
"I think it’s been a clown show, to be honest,” grad student Donald Weismiller said of the investigation,
While fans are skeptical, one East Lansing attorney thinks accepting the suspension to end the investigation ahead of an upcoming hearing was the right call.
"I think the winners would have been the attorneys billing by the hour,” attorney Mike Nichols said of the pending legal fight.
Nichols represented one of the MSU players in the tunnel incident. He knows firsthand the challenge, of petitioning a Big Ten suspension.
“The first thing a judge is going to say is, 'Where is my power?'" Nichols said. "'You voluntarily joined this conference and agreed to these rules which gives your commissioner all of the latitude to decide what's relevant and what to do if a violation is determined.'”
However, Nichols does feel the process wasn’t totally fair to Coach Harbaugh. He argues in the age of NIL, conference punishments to players and coaches carry even more weight, therefore the Big Ten needs more due process.
“I've got the manual right here on my computer, I've looked at it 50 times in the last year. There's no framework in there for an appeal or a hearing, cross-examination, confrontation, or even a closing argument. There’s nothing in there," Nichols said. "I think there should be.”
While the off-field arguments and NCAA investigation continue, the Big Ten’s investigation is done. Fans are now hoping the next merch tent to pop up on campus will be celebrating another Big Ten title.
“I just want to see some football," said student Jeremy Colorundo. "I think getting away from the politics of it is the best thing we can do for the program.”
We did reach out to Harbaugh's attorneys who declined to comment.
