On Tuesday afternoon, the NCAA released its findings regarding one of the ongoing NCAA investigations involving the Michigan football team, titled “Michigan Found in Violation of NCAA Rules in Football Program.”
In the statement, the NCAA disclosed that “Michigan and five individuals associated with its football program, past or present, have come to an agreement with NCAA enforcement staff concerning recruiting violations and coaching activities conducted by non-coaching staff members within the football program, along with the corresponding penalties for these infractions.”
Warde Manuel, Michigan’s athletic director, issued a written response to the release, stating, “The resolution reached today involves the University of Michigan Athletic Department and several former and current staff members. We are satisfied to have resolved this matter so that our student-athletes and football program can move forward. We do not have further details and are unable to comment on other aspects of the NCAA’s investigations.”
The infractions, commonly referred to by fans as “BurgerGate,” were identified by the NCAA as “in-person recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period, unauthorized tryouts, and exceeding the permitted number of countable coaches through non-coaching staff members engaging in coaching activities both on and off the field, including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to student-athletes.”
Initially considered Level-II violations, the situation escalated when the NCAA categorized it as a “head coach responsibility violation,” with the former head coach failing to fulfill obligations to cooperate with the investigation. This was deemed a Level-I violation, resulting in Michigan suspending head coach Jim Harbaugh for the first three games of the 2023 season.
As part of the resolution, the NCAA stated that “the school acknowledged” Harbaugh’s violation of responsibility and also recognized its failure to prevent and detect the recruiting infractions and ensure compliance with rules governing non-coaching staff members.
One former coach did not participate in the agreement, and this aspect of the case will be addressed separately by the Committee on Infractions, which will subsequently release its final decision, including potential violations and penalties for the former coach.
Regarding the agreed-upon penalties for Michigan, the NCAA outlined:
– “Three years of probation for the university”
– “A monetary fine and recruiting restrictions consistent with Level I-Mitigated classification for the university”
– “The involved individuals also accepted one-year show-cause orders in line with Level II-Standard and Level II-Mitigated classifications of their respective violations.”
Additionally, last September, current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore and current offensive line coach Grant Newsome served one-game suspensions, imposed by Michigan’s athletic department, in what is believed to be a proactive measure ahead of the NCAA’s forthcoming penalties.
