ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The University of Michigan will drop its lawsuit against the Big Ten, and head coach Jim Harbaugh will serve the remainder of his three-game suspension.
The announcement occurred on Thursday (Nov. 16) after the U of M put out their official statement saying:
“This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten resolved their pending litigation. The Conference agreed to close its investigation, and the University and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension. Coach Harbaugh, with the University’s support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field. The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.”
The University of Michigan will drop its lawsuit against the Big Ten, and head coach Jim Harbaugh will serve the remainder of his three-game suspension. pic.twitter.com/30uIMLSA3A
— Brandon L. Carr (@Carrpediem21) November 16, 2023
Michigan and the Big Ten were expected in court on Friday (Nov. 17) but since both sides resolved their litigation, Harbaugh will be out for Maryland on Saturday and will miss The Game against the Ohio State Buckeyes on Nov. 24.
With the decision, the Big Ten can not pursue any more litigation from the University of Michigan or Harbaugh.
Harbaugh was suspended last week by the Big Ten Conference less than 24 hours before their top 10 matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions, where the Wolverines won despite the roadblock, 24-15 in Happy Valley.
Former recruiting analyst Connor Stalions allegedly bought tickets to a plethora of games featuring schools in the Big Ten and future College Football Playoff opponents to steal and decode their signs to give the Wolverines a competitive advantage.
Stalions, who was under investigation by the NCAA, has since resigned from his role with the football program, and Harbaugh has denied any wrongdoing as he has continued his innocents from having any knowledge of the alleged operation of live scouting games, which is a violation of the NCAA rules.