Early in his coaching career at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh struggled against Ohio State, losing his first five games and nearly facing termination after a disastrous 2020 season. That year, he avoided playing Ohio State, citing COVID as an excuse.
Then, things took a dramatic turn. Connor Stalions began a spree of illegal scouting, coinciding with Michigan’s sudden improvement. They defeated Ohio State in consecutive years during the scandal, and won again in 2023 after being caught.
Despite the looming threat of a show cause penalty if he returns to college football, Harbaugh remains unapologetic for the cheating scandal. He insists he did nothing wrong and claims ignorance of the scandal, which seems implausible given the evidence.
Jim Harbaugh still refuses to accept responsibility for the cheating against Ohio State. When asked about the upcoming notice of allegations to Michigan, he said:
“Yeah, I do have a comment on that. Never lie, never cheat, never steal. I was raised with that lesson. I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams I have coached. No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right. Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So for me, it’s back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
For him to claim ignorance is absurd. He’s either lying, incompetent, or both. As the head coach, he is responsible for everything that happens in his program, whether he knows about it or not. Yet, he still refuses to accept responsibility.
