The NCAA placed Michigan under three years of probation for coaching and recruiting violations on Tuesday. The penalties are unrelated to the sign-stealing scandal that occurred last fall.
According to an NCAA statement, Michigan and five current or former football staffers have reached an agreement with the NCAA regarding coaching and recruiting violations and their appropriate penalties.
The agreed-upon penalties for Michigan include three years of probation, a fine and recruiting restrictions. The five individuals agreed to one-year show-cause orders.
The violations committed by Michigan and its staffers include impermissible in-person recruiting during a COVID-19 dead period, impermissible tryouts and “the program exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members participated in on- and off-field activities,” the statement read.
The statement referenced Michigan's agreement that former head coach Jim Harbaugh demonstrated a “responsibility violation” and failed to cooperate with the NCAA during its investigation in Ann Arbor. It also included Michigan's acknowledgment that the school failed to deter and detect impermissible recruiting contacts and “did not ensure the football program adhered to the rules of noncoaching staff members.”
One former coach who is also accused of committing violations did not participate in the agreement, and his portion of the case will be considered separately by the NCAA Committee of Infractions. The committee, which approved the agreement between Michigan and the organization, says it will not discuss further details in the case to preserve the integrity of its continued investigation into the Wolverines’ football program.
According to the NCAA statement, the committee's final decision, including potential violations and penalties for Harbaugh, will come at a later date. Michigan and the five individuals included in the agreement can serve their penalties while awaiting the committee's final decision on the outstanding portions of the case.
