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Michigan settles litigation with Big Ten, Harbaugh accepts suspension

The Big Ten announced last week that Harbaugh was suspended for the final three regular season games amid an investigation into sign stealing.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh watches during warmups before an NCAA college football game.
Posted at 4:44 PM, Nov 16, 2023

There will be no "A Few Good Men" moments for Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh on Friday. 

The university announced it had resolved litigation with the Big Ten Conference ahead of an appeals hearing. 

The Big Ten announced last week that Harbaugh was suspended for the final three regular-season games amid an investigation into sign stealing. 

Michigan said on Wednesday that the conference agreed to close its investigation as a separate NCAA investigation continues. 

"The conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations," Michigan said in a statement.

It added that Harbaugh would accept the three-game suspension "to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field."

Prior to the agreement, Harbaugh planned to appear in court on Friday to seek an order that would have prevented the ban from continuing. 

"I've always felt like it'd be cool to get up there and thunder away at a jury like Tom Cruise in 'A Few Good Men' or be a judge," Harbaugh said on Monday. 

Michigan football analyst resigns amid sign-stealing investigation
Michigan football analytics assistant Connor Stalions, center left.

Michigan football analyst resigns amid sign-stealing investigation

The NCAA is investigating Michigan for allegedly sending people to opponents’ games to record video that would be used to decode their signals.

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Michigan is the No. 2 ranked team in the country and one of the favorites to win the national championship. 

The team is currently undefeated, even winning last week against No. 10 Penn State without Harbaugh on the sidelines. 

Michigan will take on Maryland on Saturday, followed by a big game against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 25.