On Friday the Big Ten handed down its discipline to the University of Michigan in the midst of in-person scouting and sign stealing allegations.
Friday evening, Michigan fought back.
The school filed for a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County's 22nd Circuit Court, which would prevent the Big Ten's suspension from taking effect until arguments are heard in court, It was not immediately clear if or when the order may be granted, as Friday was the federally observed holiday for Veterans Day.
Harbaugh is listed as the plaintiff, while the Big Ten Conference and Commissioner Tony Petitti were listed as defendants.
The judicial officer listed on the filing is Timothy P. Connors, who is listed as a lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School.
The filing could allow Michigan to be granted a preliminary injunction, which would preserve the status quo -- the investigation, in this case -- until a court can make a ruling. A timeline is not clear.
The conference announced Friday afternoon head coach Jim Harbaugh will be barred from the sidelines in the final three games of the regular season after the program was "found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy.”
The conference said the program was found to be “conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition," according to a 13-page letter from Petitti to the school.
Unless the court order is granted, Harbaugh will not be allowed to coach the No. 3 Wolverines in their remaining games -- including Saturday's top-10 showdown at Penn State -- though he will be allowed to coach them in practice throughout the week.
In handing down the punishment, the Big Ten cited Conference Agreement 10.01 of the Sportsmanship Policy, which says, in part, “The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.”
Big Ten officials said they will have no additional comment at this time.
The discipline comes three weeks after allegations first surfaced that the program — with staff member Connor Stalions emerging at the center of the scandal — was recording future opponents’ sidelines in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage.
The NCAA is also investigating the case.
The news of the discipline came late Friday afternoon as the Wolverines program was in the air, traveling to State College for Saturday's game. Players boarded the team bus wearing shirts that said "Michigan vs. Everybody."
Michigan school officials released a statement in response to the discipline, saying they are "dismayed" by the action that "violates basic tenets of due process." Read the school's full statement below:
"Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered. Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the Conference's own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed. We are dismayed at the Commissioner's rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation – one in which we are fully cooperating.
Commissioner Petitti’s hasty action today suggests that this is more about reacting to pressure from other Conference members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and impartially. By taking this action at this hour, the Commissioner is personally inserting himself onto the sidelines and altering the level playing field that he is claiming to preserve. And, doing so on Veteran’s Day – a court holiday – to try to thwart the University from seeking immediate judicial relief is hardly a profile in impartiality. To ensure fairness in the process, we intend to seek a court order, together with Coach Harbaugh, preventing this disciplinary action from taking effect."
Earlier this week the university and Harbaugh's attorney Tom Mars sent letters to the Big Ten in response to their notice of potential discipline, urging the conference to avoid taking what they called "premature" disciplinary measures.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned to 97.1 The Ticket for the latest updates as they become available.