Jim Harbaugh is facing a four-game suspension for a series of Level II and alleged Level I violations of NCAA rules, including lying to investigators when first interviewed about the incidents in question. "As is the case most times," says Mike Valenti, "the cover-up is worse than the crime."
"We know the NCAA are idiots and scumbags. The point is, you don’t lie to them. You just don’t do it. Bruce Pearl lied to them, and you guys call Bruce Pearl a scumbag."
Among Harbaugh's and Michigan's Level II infractions, according to Yahoo! Sports, are "meeting with two recruits during a COVID-19 dead period, texting a recruit outside of an allowable time period, having analysts perform on-field coaching duties during practice and having coaches watching players work out via Zoom." The Level I infraction owes to Harbaugh allegedly making false statements to investigators; Harbaugh claims that'd merely forgotten specific details.
"It’s not about an effing hamburger, so just stop with that talking point," says Valenti. "I told you from the beginning, all he had to do was cop to this and it would go away. But Harbaugh did what he always does: he thinks he’s above everything, he doesn’t have to play by the rules. And the university empowers him. He does whatever he wants and there’s really no repercussions."
According to Valenti, Harbaugh "has basically asked for this" from the start of his time at Michigan by "trying to thumb his nose at the NCAA," like setting up summer satellite camps down South. And "as bad as the NCAA is, as goofy as they are, they got the guy dead to rights. Think about it: if you could beat the rap, you’d fight it. He was never going to beat the rap. Somehow, someway, they got him."
On the field, Valenti says nothing changes for Michigan: "You still have a kick-ass team and the Big Ten goes through Ann Arbor. But you know what you don’t get to do? You don’t get to look down on Kirby Smart or Nick Saban or Lincoln Riley or any of the other coaches you probably can’t beat. Because for all the times you want to call them scumbags, none of them have Level 1 violations.
"I just find it hilarious that you want to continue to act like you are somehow above. The only people you are above might be Miami."
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