Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel has confirmed that he and the school received “draft allegations” from the NCAA regarding the school’s football program on Thursday.
“Yesterday, we received draft allegations from the NCAA regarding our football program,” Manuel said in a statement Friday, per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg. “We have cooperated and will continue to cooperate with this investigation. Out of respect to the NCAA’s enforcement process, we will not offer further comments.”
Multiple sources told Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde Thursday that Michigan football is under an NCAA investigation and that charges are expected soon. One of the potential rules infractions includes a Level I violation committed by coach Jim Harbaugh after he allegedly didn’t cooperate with NCAA investigators, per Yahoo Sports’s Dan Wetzel.
The nature of the reported violations was not divulged by Manuel, but both Yahoo Sports and ESPN report that there are also four Level II violations being investigated by the NCAA. These violations are considered less severe and it’s still possible that the sides could reach a negotiated resolution, which would expedite the outcome of the case.
At the backdrop of the investigation into Harbaugh and the Michigan football program are reports regarding Harbaugh’s supposed interest in returning to the NFL. If Harbaugh were to no longer be coaching in college, he would not be subject to any potential sanctions. If he remains the coach at Michigan, he could face penalties from the NCAA.
Though reports have indicated that Harbaugh has spoken with Panthers owner David Tepper and that the Broncos are “doing homework” on him, the Wolverines coach echoed the same feeling he had in December about his future at Michigan in a statement on Thursday.
“As I stated in December, while no one knows what the future holds, I expect that I will be enthusiastically coaching Michigan in 2023,” he said in the release.
Harbaugh boasts a 74–25 record at Michigan over the past eight seasons. The Wolverines went 13–1, won the Big Ten championship and made a second consecutive trip to the College Football Playoff this year before losing to TCU in the Fiesta Bowl.
