On Wednesday, the NCAA punished former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for a slew of recruiting violations. But the penalty seems meaningless.
The NCAA announced a four-year show-cause order for Harbaugh for impermissible contact with players and recruits while access was restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show-cause penalty would suspend Harbaugh for one season and bar him from several activities, including team travel and recruiting.
While it sounds severe, remember that Harbaugh would only face punishment if he returned to college football, which probably isn’t happening anytime soon.
In January, Harbaugh left his alma mater to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, his contract lasts five years and averages $16M annually. If he makes it to the end of the contract, he will evade the violations. Even if the Chargers fire him before the end of his deal, Harbaugh can wait until Aug. 2028, when the show-cause expires.
Harbaugh’s camp doesn’t seem concerned about the penalty, either. In a statement on social media, Tom Mars, Harbaugh’s lawyer, compared the decision to a college student getting suspended by their high school after they didn’t sign the yearbook.