This sounds pretty serious . Michigan Mod
Based on several conversations Friday afternoon and evening, it’s fair to say that Michigan and The Big 10 are very much at a punishment crossroads with Jim Harbaugh, and the next week will likely prove very telling which path they’ll travel.
In the aftermath of today’s meetings between Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti and Michigan President Santa Ono flanked by members of the Board of Regents, and a separate meeting between Petitti and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, it’s clear that Jim Harbaugh is staring down the barrel of at least a suspension. (Emphasis on at least). That’s not hard to deduce from Connor Stallions’ sudden resignation Friday evening . It’s hard to not to view his departure shortly after photos surfaced of someone bearing his resemblance on Central Michigan’s sideline during its matchup with Michigan State as an admission of sorts. It was always the case that if he were deemed guilty, the “we didn’t know defense” wasn’t going to be satisfactory enough to avoid punishment.
But what became clear Friday to some sources I spoke with is that there are members of the Big 10 for whom suspension is not enough. Most within the conference want this ordeal to cost Harbaugh his job. If there was a revelation, it was that there apparently is a preponderance of members who feel that way.
And Petitti can’t convince enough of them to feel otherwise.
The following is my opinion, but I don’t think he’s capable of leading on this matter in a way that’s fair to Michigan. And to be clear, that is not an indictment of his leadership acumen. It’s acknowledgement of the limitations placed on him by his tenure. He doesn’t have the tenure to calm the masses in the same way a 30-year commissioner like Jim Delany would have. He doesn’t have the command yet to bring perspective to those who are ridiculously conflating advanced scouting with the worst violations they’ve seen. And he can’t highlight for his members the difference between an offense where the method of performing an act is a violation, but the act itself isn’t… from other offenses that are violations regardless of how they're performed (like buying players).
Either Petitti thinks it’s time for Harbaugh to go, or he’s leading from the rear (at least on this). Either way, if this really were to go as far as a firing, I don’t see a scenario where that’s Michigan’s choice. It would be Petitti’s, with the support from the majority of Big 10, in the form of an oppressive suspension.
I’m confident in my belief that no one in Michigan's leadership triumvirate even for one second considered an option as dramatic as dismissal. I hear President Santa Ono clearly wants to fight for Harbaugh. He has been a major supporter from the second he arrived on campus. And while there is collective disappointment among leadership with what was at least a lack of oversight re Stallions, I’ve heard no indication of Ono’s support wavering.
The same is true of Manuel, who back in 2020 resisted urges from fans, others in leadership, and even former players to move on from Harbaugh. Instead, he found a way to keep his former teammate on board. The willingness to put one’s neck on the line like that doesn’t just evaporate. There is simply no way he’d fire Harbaugh.
And then there are The Regents. They too have been highly supportive of Harbaugh and have been major proponents of extending him both publicly and privately. I don’t sense that group is ready to go in a different direction either.
Which leads us to where things stand now. My sense is leadership is deliberating over whether other league members can be satiated. As much as a combative posture seemed like “the play” heading into the day, taking that tone at this point would be an ominous sign in my opinion. To me, it would signal Michigan’s thinking that the conference’s mind is already made up, and there’s nothing that can be done about it. So, they’d just be making their displeasure abundantly clear in protest.
On the other hand, a more conciliatory tone would signal the belief that diplomacy is still an option. That there is still a compromise that can be reached on a punishment that is severe enough to send the message the rest of the league is determined to deliver, while also preserving Harbaugh’s job.
I don’t think a decision on which posture to take has been made yet. There are conversations to be had both in Ann Arbor and across the conference footprint in the co
ming days that will ultimately tip the scales one way or the other.
We'll be monitoring the situation closely every step of the way.
Based on several conversations Friday afternoon and evening, it’s fair to say that Michigan and The Big 10 are very much at a punishment crossroads with Jim Harbaugh, and the next week will likely prove very telling which path they’ll travel.
In the aftermath of today’s meetings between Big 10 commissioner Tony Petitti and Michigan President Santa Ono flanked by members of the Board of Regents, and a separate meeting between Petitti and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, it’s clear that Jim Harbaugh is staring down the barrel of at least a suspension. (Emphasis on at least). That’s not hard to deduce from Connor Stallions’ sudden resignation Friday evening . It’s hard to not to view his departure shortly after photos surfaced of someone bearing his resemblance on Central Michigan’s sideline during its matchup with Michigan State as an admission of sorts. It was always the case that if he were deemed guilty, the “we didn’t know defense” wasn’t going to be satisfactory enough to avoid punishment.
But what became clear Friday to some sources I spoke with is that there are members of the Big 10 for whom suspension is not enough. Most within the conference want this ordeal to cost Harbaugh his job. If there was a revelation, it was that there apparently is a preponderance of members who feel that way.
And Petitti can’t convince enough of them to feel otherwise.
The following is my opinion, but I don’t think he’s capable of leading on this matter in a way that’s fair to Michigan. And to be clear, that is not an indictment of his leadership acumen. It’s acknowledgement of the limitations placed on him by his tenure. He doesn’t have the tenure to calm the masses in the same way a 30-year commissioner like Jim Delany would have. He doesn’t have the command yet to bring perspective to those who are ridiculously conflating advanced scouting with the worst violations they’ve seen. And he can’t highlight for his members the difference between an offense where the method of performing an act is a violation, but the act itself isn’t… from other offenses that are violations regardless of how they're performed (like buying players).
Either Petitti thinks it’s time for Harbaugh to go, or he’s leading from the rear (at least on this). Either way, if this really were to go as far as a firing, I don’t see a scenario where that’s Michigan’s choice. It would be Petitti’s, with the support from the majority of Big 10, in the form of an oppressive suspension.
I’m confident in my belief that no one in Michigan's leadership triumvirate even for one second considered an option as dramatic as dismissal. I hear President Santa Ono clearly wants to fight for Harbaugh. He has been a major supporter from the second he arrived on campus. And while there is collective disappointment among leadership with what was at least a lack of oversight re Stallions, I’ve heard no indication of Ono’s support wavering.
The same is true of Manuel, who back in 2020 resisted urges from fans, others in leadership, and even former players to move on from Harbaugh. Instead, he found a way to keep his former teammate on board. The willingness to put one’s neck on the line like that doesn’t just evaporate. There is simply no way he’d fire Harbaugh.
And then there are The Regents. They too have been highly supportive of Harbaugh and have been major proponents of extending him both publicly and privately. I don’t sense that group is ready to go in a different direction either.
Which leads us to where things stand now. My sense is leadership is deliberating over whether other league members can be satiated. As much as a combative posture seemed like “the play” heading into the day, taking that tone at this point would be an ominous sign in my opinion. To me, it would signal Michigan’s thinking that the conference’s mind is already made up, and there’s nothing that can be done about it. So, they’d just be making their displeasure abundantly clear in protest.
On the other hand, a more conciliatory tone would signal the belief that diplomacy is still an option. That there is still a compromise that can be reached on a punishment that is severe enough to send the message the rest of the league is determined to deliver, while also preserving Harbaugh’s job.
I don’t think a decision on which posture to take has been made yet. There are conversations to be had both in Ann Arbor and across the conference footprint in the co
ming days that will ultimately tip the scales one way or the other.
We'll be monitoring the situation closely every step of the way.
