This week, the NCAA slapped former Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh with some pretty steep penalties due to recruiting violations at Michigan as well as his lack of cooperation in the investigation. The only problem is that he’s quite unlikely to feel any of those punishments since he is no longer coaching in college football after moving to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers. The whole situation has college football personality Paul Finebaum chiding the NCAA.
During a recent appearance on Get Up! on ESPN, Paul Finebaum unloaded on the NCAA for this “petty” ruling against Jim Harbaugh, saying “nobody respects this organization.”
“They are completely dysfunctional, they are vindictive, they are petty, but mostly, and I think everybody can sing the hymnal here, they’re laughable. Nobody respects this organization. Nobody really cares about them anymore because Jim Harbaugh is never, ever, ever coming back. I know I’m reciting Taylor Swift here, but he’s not coming back to college football,” Finebaum said according to On3.
“That’s why he left. He left to get away from this posse. He watched and saw what Pete Carroll did at USC. Pete ran as fast as he could and left the mess to Lane Kiffin and [Steve] Sarkisian and everyone else, and they’re still trying to dig out from it. Chip Kelly did the same thing. So, this is not novel. This is pathetic.”
Finebaum was quick to point out that this severe punishment wasn’t even for what many see as the more serious NCAA investigation into the Michigan football program as the investigation into the alleged illegal sign-stealing is still ongoing.
“One more thing for the audience to remember, this is not for the serious stuff. This is not for the Connor Stalions sign stealing. This is for, I don’t know, handing out hamburgers to recruits or players during Covid. Had Harbaugh said, ‘I get it. You got me.’ He may have been suspended for a game. Instead, he’s been banned for life and sentenced to a firing squad. That’s how absurd this is.”
Clearly, Finebaum is not impressed with the NCAA attempting to flex its muscles on a coach it no longer has any jurisdiction over.
[On3]
