Tony Petitti says he holds no regrets about suspending Jim Harbaugh last season in light of the Connor Stalions-led Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
Petitti suspended Harbaugh for the Wolverines' final three games of the regular season on Nov. 10 after determining that Michigan violated the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy ”for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years.”
Before becoming Big Ten commissioner, Petitti worked for Major League Baseball during the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, which means he had prior experience handling such circumstances.
“Look, I understand having come from MLB and watching some of the discipline things that had happened there, it's a difficult process when you are forced into a situation of when you have to decide what to do with a member," Petitti said during Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday in Indianapolis. "That's part of it. You go into it with a lot of respect and trying to understand and do what's fair and protect the entire conference. That was the approach we took, and I stand by the results of the decision we made.”
Sherrone Moore, now Michigan's head coach, was the Wolverines' interim coach during that stretch and led the Wolverines to a 3-0 record, including a win over Ohio State in The Game. Harbaugh returned for the Big Ten Championship game and helped lead Michigan to a national championship.
Petitti said he was proud of the effort the Big Ten put into fact-gathering during its investigation and ultimately was pleased with the results.
“I can tell you that it was a collaborative process inside the conference office with staff first trying to understand and gather information," Petitti said. "There was a lot of cooperation with the NCAA in terms of the information we had access to. We were working with our administrators and, ultimately, our presidents and chancellors as well. It was completely a collaborative process.”
The conference's investigation into Michigan is closed, yet an active NCAA case against the Wolverines remains ongoing. Pettitti said Tuesday he wasn't aware if a decision will be made any time soon or what consequences Michigan will face.
“I don't know of a timetable," he said. "I'm not aware yet of when the NCAA will come to any final determination, whatever that might be.”
