Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer believes that either the Los Angeles Chargers or the NFL should step in and discipline Jim Harbaugh.
On August 15, the NCAA issued penalties against Michigan for violations tied to the Connor Stalions sign-stealing controversy, including a 10-year show-cause order for Harbaugh.
Speaking on the Aug. 21 episode of The Triple Option podcast, Meyer drew a comparison between Harbaugh’s situation and that of Jim Tressel in 2011. Meyer noted that when Tressel left Ohio State amid controversy, the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts honored his NCAA suspension by barring him from working the first six games of the season.
“There’s an elephant in the room no one’s mentioning,” Meyer said. “When Jim Tressel was fired at Ohio State, Roger Goodell and the NFL respected that suspension. Tressel went to the Colts in a replay role, and the organization upheld the penalty out of respect for the NCAA. He missed six games. So will the NFL or the Chargers do the same with Harbaugh? Of course not — and I don’t understand why.”
Some believe Harbaugh left Michigan for the Chargers after securing the 2023 national championship because he anticipated impending NCAA sanctions.
However, while Tressel’s six-game suspension was notable, Harbaugh’s 10-year show-cause is on another level. Any NFL action at this point would likely be more of a token gesture than a meaningful punishment.
In truth, it would be bad optics and business for the league to penalize Harbaugh. Such a move would unnecessarily tie the Chargers and the NFL to a college football scandal that they were fully aware of before Harbaugh made the leap to the pros ahead of the 2024 season.
About the Author
