0:00
more than a slap on the wrist for all of
0:03
the things that happened at Michigan
0:06
that Harbaugh would rather have you, you
0:09
know, never kind of remember, talk
0:11
about, etc. And he even said in response
0:14
to this, "I'm done engaging. I'm not
0:17
engaging. Like I told you last year, I'm
0:20
done." Well, what ended up happening was
0:23
the NCAA elected to impose financial
0:25
penalties and recruiting limitations as
0:27
part of the final punishment issued in
0:29
connection with Connor Stallions. Okay?
0:31
And this is a pretty significant
0:35
financial, you know, slap on the wrist.
0:38
Beyond that, it's more than that. It's a
0:41
big time fine that is over the course of
0:43
multiple years. What I think this is is
0:52
that the Connor Stallions
0:57
sign stealing, film study, all of that
1:00
stuff was not above board. That's it.
1:05
And at that point, you know, there is a
1:09
bit of a stain on the Michigan National
1:12
Championship run. There is. There's no
1:14
doubt about it because if Michigan fans
1:16
are going to look at the Ohio State
1:18
Championships and say, "Well, what about
1:20
this? What about that? What about this?"
1:22
If you look at other championships like
1:24
Miami and say, "What about this? What
1:25
about that? What about this?" You have
1:27
to look at yourself as well. Now, you
1:29
can say, "Well, ours wasn't as bad as
1:31
theirs." But that's really all
1:32
semantics. And I'm not saying that the
1:34
punishment is always equal to the crime
1:36
because today in college football, the
1:39
NCAA is as toothless as it's ever been
1:41
in terms of instituting punishment and
1:44
policing its sport. But that being said,
1:47
the NCAA still felt as though this was
1:49
significant and serious enough to outlay
1:52
a pretty serious financial penalty.
1:55
I think ultimately it's the right move,
1:58
and I rarely say that about the NCAA, to
2:01
start penalizing programs
2:07
versus taking down banners and revoking
2:11
wins. That's always been stupid. Let's
2:14
face it, it's always been idiotic to say
2:16
what you saw happen on the field or on
2:18
the court didn't happen on the field or
2:20
on the court. never made any sense. In
2:23
today's college football, college
2:25
basketball world, it is all about the
2:28
finances that you can spend on your
2:31
players, on your staff, on your
2:33
facilities. That's it. At the end of the
2:35
day, it's all financial. So, those
2:37
should be the penalties. Michigan should
2:39
not take down a banner. They should not
2:42
have to give back wins. There should be
2:45
no voiding or vacating anything that
2:48
happened on the field. But if it was a
2:50
significant brooch or breach of rules,
2:53
then you should be penalized, punished
2:55
financially. So it does exist as a stain
3:00
on Harbaugh's tenure, but it doesn't
3:03
erase the fact that he had unbelievable
3:05
success there and changed the entire
3:08
trajectory, perhaps history of that
3:12
program. To that point in time, they
3:14
were getting their teeth kicked in by
3:15
the Buckeyes. And it was so clear Ohio
3:18
State could compete for national
3:19
championship and Michigan just couldn't.
3:22
By the end of Harbaugh's tenure there,
3:24
the script had flipped, the roles
3:27
reversed. And that is Jim Harbaugh. You
3:30
cannot take that away from him. That is
3:32
what it is. That is foundational,
3:35
fundamental to what he did at Michigan.
3:38
So, was it perfect? No. And his whole we
3:41
only drink milk and eat steak and get
3:42
our rest and that's how we win football
3:44
games. Let's face it, that was always a
3:46
lark as well. If you want to get on
3:48
Harbaugh for acting the part when he
3:50
doesn't really live it, fine by me.
3:52
Don't tell me he didn't know what Connor
3:53
Stallions was doing. So, that part is
3:56
real. But what is also real is Michigan
3:59
doesn't win a national championship
4:01
without Harbaugh doing what Harbaugh did
4:04
and flipping that entire organization,
4:06
the entire program. And that doesn't
4:09
just happen by signaling. It happens
4:11
from a lot more a will of Harbaugh. So
4:14
that's where I stand on that. I think it
4:16
was right to penalize them financially.
4:19
It is a stain, but it doesn't erase what
4:22
he actually accomplished on the football
