It hasn’t been the best month for Michigan football. Obviously, the Wolverines lost to the TCU Horned Frogs in the College Football Playoff semifinals on Dec. 31, which was technically last month, but it’s been a lot of bad news since then. Jim Harbaugh tried to return to the NFL again. Matt Weiss has been fired due to allegations of computer crime. And of course, UM is waiting to see what happens with the NCAA and the violations being investigated.
Immediately following the loss to TCU, Jim Harbaugh flirted with the NFL again. This year wasn’t quite as serious as last year, but he did interview with the Denver Broncos and was also at least mentioned as a potential candidate for the Indianapolis Colts. He eventually let Denver know he wasn’t interested, and after several statements from University of Michigan President Santa Ono and Harbaugh himself, the former Wolverine quarterback is back in Ann Arbor again.
Earlier this week, news began to break that quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss had committed some sort of “computer crimes” and that he was under investigation. Not long after the allegations surfaced, Weiss was fired, and now UM has an opening on the staff. Say what you will about Weiss and the job he did as a position coach and recruiter, it still doesn’t look good.
And now, of course, everyone is waiting to see what happens with Harbaugh and Michigan and the reported NCAA violations that were committed. According to ESPN, the violations include alleged impermissible contact with recruits during NCAA-mandated dead periods, as well as the use of a defensive analyst for on-field coaching activities, a rule violation. Sources told ESPN that Harbaugh’s cooperation with NCAA enforcement staff during the investigation is also being examined. Harbaugh could face penalties that include a multiple-game suspension, sources said.
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No matter what…
As Joel Klatt delves into above, there are giant fish to fry when it comes to what’s going on in college football, and these “transgressions” by Harbaugh and Michigan pale in comparison. The NCAA has truly become the laughingstock of college football, and these Michigan-specific examples are just the latest kind of evidence to prove it.
