The NCAA threatened to suspend former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh last fall if his attorney did not halt his satirical social media comments of the association’s ongoing investigation of the Wolverines football program.
In a “letter of admonition” to attorney Thomas Mars obtained by CBS Sports, current NCAA Committee on Infractions chair Dave Roberts wrote in October 2023 that if Mars didn’t halt his posts criticizing the NCAA’s investigative process “the COI will consider appropriate penalties, including immediate suspension of your client.”
Roberts cited NCAA bylaw 19.4.6-(i) which gives the COI authority to ” … sanction parties and/or their representative(s) for behaviors that inhibit the committee’s ability to effectively manage the docket, ensure a professional and civil decorum in all proceedings or otherwise efficiently solve infractions cases.”
The letter ends with seemingly a final warning from Roberts that read, “There will not be any further admonitions …”
Mars did not respond to the NCAA and continued his critical posts but it seems Roberts took no further action.
The letter came during dual investigations of Michigan for NCAA recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period and sign stealing. In a Tuesday release, the NCAA said a negotiated resolution had been reached in the first case. “One former coach,” – supposedly Harbaugh – “did not participate in the agreement, and that portion of the case will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions …” the statement said.
Roberts’ letter was dated Oct. 26, 2023, the week the sign-stealing scandal broke. That came during a bye week in Michigan’s national championship season.
Harbaugh was suspended twice last season – first by Michigan for the first three games of the season as a way to mitigate penalties in the first case. He was then suspended by the Big Ten in the final three regular-season games following the sign-stealing scandal.
That investigation remains ongoing. Harbaugh’s level of complicity in the case was announced Tuesday after allegations he misled NCAA investigators. Harbaugh has said he did not lie to the NCAA. Since Harbaugh is gone to the NFL and a negotiated settlement was reached, Michigan isn’t expected to suffer major sanctions.
However, Mars said neither he nor Harbaugh were contacted by Michigan or the NCAA regarding a negotiated resolution in…
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