No ruling will be made on a request by the University of Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh for a temporary restraining order to stop the game. He was suspended for three games by the Big Ten. A source told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd on Friday. That means Harbaugh, who traveled with the Wolverines to State College, Pennsylvania, will not be able to coach No. 3 Michigan in a key Big Ten East game against No. 10 Penn State.
Michigan offensive coordinator Sherone Moore will take over as acting coach, just as she did earlier this season when Harbaugh was suspended for three games to begin the 2023 season.
An in-person hearing is scheduled for Nov. 17, ahead of the Nov. 18 game between Michigan and Maryland, officials told Dodd.
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh on Friday for the final three games of the 2023 regular season. The conference found that the University of Michigan violated the league’s sportsmanship policy following an investigation into an alleged sign-stealing operation.
Harbaugh, along with the University of Michigan Board of Regents, responded Friday night with a request for a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten. The judge named in the bill is Timothy P. Connors, a lecturer at the University of Michigan and an adjunct professor at Wayne State University and Vermont.
ESPN is got a copy A temporary restraining order. “Suspending Coach Harbaugh this late in the team’s season would irreparably harm the university’s chances of success,” the university’s lawyers argued.
Michigan and Harbaugh quickly announced their intention to fight the suspension with legal action. The university issued a statement within an hour of the Big Ten’s announcement. The full statement can be read below.
“Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, careful, and thoughtful process to determine the set of facts before a verdict is rendered.” Today by Commissioner Tony Petiti The action ignores the conference’s own playbook and violates its fundamental principles.”The NCAA’s investigation is ongoing and we are fully cooperating with it, yet the Secretary is rushing to judgment.” is disappointed.
“Committee Petiti’s hasty actions today suggest that this is more in response to pressure from other council members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and equitably.” By taking action, members are personally offering themselves to the sidelines and changing the content of the meeting.” It is a court holiday to try to prevent the university from seeking immediate judicial relief. Even though it’s Veterans Day, this is hardly fair. To ensure the fairness of the process, we, along with Coach Harbaugh, will seek a court order to prevent this disciplinary action from taking effect.”
Michigan remains the subject of an active investigation into the matter by the NCAA. Sources told CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd, is placed on a “very fast timeline.” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a letter to the Big Ten that the NCAA’s executive staff “indicated the following: [the NCAA investigation] It is scheduled to be completed this fall.” (Italics are in the letter.)
Harbaugh claims he was unaware of the activities of former staffer Conor Stallions. Even the Big Ten acknowledged that it had not received any information that Harbaugh was “aware of the impermissible nature of the sign-stealing scheme” and that the suspension was not a sanction against Harbaugh, but rather against the University of Michigan. Even so, Harbaugh could still face personal sanctions under the NCAA’s coaches liability rules. The regulations stipulate that responsible persons are responsible for the actions of their staff.
The NCAA’s investigation into sign stealing at Michigan State is rapidly evolving, and CBS Sports is covering it in real time. Click here for live coverage.