Michigan Suspends Jim Harbaugh For Three Games In Self-Imposed Sanctions

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended by the program following self-imposed sanctions.

Harbaugh had been facing a four-game suspension from the NCAA, but negotiations collapsed seemingly at the 11th hour.

It now appears UM will attempt to cut off the NCAA Committee on Infractions before it can get involved. The program will suspend Harbaugh for all three non-conference games, the university announced Monday. Several news outlets reported the news before it became official, including from Maize&Blue Review .

Michigan reportedly hits Jim Harbaugh with a three-game suspension. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Harbaugh will miss games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green, and the star coach will then return September 23 against Rutgers.

The suspension stems from allegations Harbaugh broke recruiting rules during the COVID-19 dead periods and then lied about it to the NCAA. The alleged purchasing of cheeseburgers appears to be a minor issue compared to the alleged lying.

The latter seems to be why the NCAA wants to nail Harbaugh to the wall.

Will this get the NCAA off Jim Harbaugh's back?

The reason programs self-impose punishments is very simple:

They hope a self-imposed punishment signals to the NCAA it's serious and stops the governing body from coming in and crushing them.

Will three games be enough to get the NCAA to stand down on further punishment for Jim Harbaugh? Time will tell, but it might not be. The NCAA is treating this situation incredibly seriously, and the original brokered punishment was four games. Now, Michigan is handing out a suspension that's a game less.

Michigan reportedly suspends Jim Harbaugh for three games. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

"The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities – not a cheeseburger. The Committee on Infractions may reject (a ruling, such as the previous four-game suspension) if it determines that the agreement is not in the best interests of the NCAA or the penalties are not reasonable," NCAA vice president of hearing operations Derrick Crawford said earlier in August.

Doest that sound like a man who thinks three games gets the job done?

Will the NCAA punish Jim Harbaugh further? (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

While Michigan reportedly self-imposed three games on Harbaugh, this situation still might not be resolved. The NCAA could absolutely still come in and try to cause problems. If that happens next offseason, don't be surprised if Jim Harbaugh starts flirting with the NFL again.