T
he Los Angeles Chargers are hard at work on preparing for a big season in 2025, but in recent days, the upcoming NFL season has not been the main storyline for the franchise. Head coach Jim Harbaugh, entering his second season in charge of the Chargers, was handed his punishment for his role in Michigan football’s 2023 sign stealing scandal. Receiving a 10-year show cause, Harbaugh is essentially banned from coaching in college football for well over a decade.
But Harbaugh is focused solely on his job with the Chargers and guiding the team to their second consecutive playoff berth. In fact, Harbaugh is so locked in that he is refusing to comment on the NCAA’s ruling, suggesting in a recent media interview that the show cause penalty he received has not even crossed his mind.
Harbaugh’s Recent Comments
The Chargers took on the Los Angeles Rams in a preseason game over the weekend, losing 23-22 and after the game, Harbaugh met the media for his postgame press conference. The game was the main topic, but Harbaugh was asked about the NCAA ruling and was quick to shoot down the reporter who asked the question.
“Like I said to you last year, not engaging,” Harbaugh said. “Not engaging.”
During the investigations, the NCAA did not shy away about criticizing Harbaugh’s stewardship over Michigan when the sanctions were announced, saying that evidence of a cover-up was ‘overwhelming.’ Despite contradictory claims by the NCAA and everyone else involved in the investigations, Harbaugh always maintained the stance that he had no idea that the Connor Stalions-led scandal took place.
The NCAA handed Michigan major punishments, but did not void the national title or hand Michigan a multiyear postseason ban– two common occurrences in scandals like these. The NCAA justified not giving Michigan a multiyear postseason ban for one simple reason– not wanting to penalize Michigan’s current student-athletes for what happened during Harbaugh’s tenure.
Harbaugh’s Return to the Pros
Throughout Harbaugh’s tenure at Michigan, rumors about a return to the NFL were always swirling. And during the 2023 season, reports began to emerge that Harbaugh was in the running for the Chargers job, eventually leading to him returning to the league two weeks after Michigan won the national championship. But in August of last year, the NCAA handed Harbaugh a four-year show cause penalty that stemmed from recruiting violations committed during the COVID recruiting restrictions. Now, with the 10-year show cause, Harbaugh has a 14-year total show cause order, effectively keeping him out of college sports until 2038.
But if Harbaugh’s tenure with the Chargers goes as expected, he will still be coaching football for years to come, hoping to become one of the greatest coaches in Chargers history. The Chargers invested heavily on improving their team this season, bringing in a lot of new faces such as running backs Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton, hoping that their new-look roster results in their first ever Super Bowl title.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jim Harbaugh Not Commenting on NCAA Ruling: ‘Not Engaging’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.