The consequences for the Michigan sign stealing scandal have finally dropped, and former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has been barred from any coaching activity within the NCAA. However, he is currently coaching in the NFL, for the LA Chargers, which meant that a lot of fans felt that he did not get a severe enough punishment.
The Chargers head coach was asked about the punishment after the sanctions were announced and he refused to even engage with the question.
Jim Harbaugh was asked about the latest sanctions from the NCAA:
“Like I said to you last year, I’m not engaging.” pic.twitter.com/UgOycM3Ng9
— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineOn3) August 17, 2025
This resulted in fans blasting him on social media:
“Cheating 🤡 Horrible person,” one fan commented.
“FRAUD,” another fan added.
“Michigan fans wanted him fired.. Once he realized he couldn’t win and was gonna be fired he started to cheat and that’s when the results started to flip.. Now of course the most delusional fanbase in sports is celebrating cheating.. DELUSIONAL,” said another commenter.
“Jim Harbaugh didn’t even care. He was supposed to show up to the meeting in early June but he didn’t even care enough to show up. Talk about not caring about your own,” one person pointed out.
“Story of his life lol. Dude had no business being the coach at Michigan. Literally destroyed the meaning of what it means to be a Michigan man,” added another fan.
“Coward. No integrity. Cheater. Liar. Forever a Loser.” said one person.
The scandal was brought about when Venmo payments from the sign stealing mastermind, former Michigan defensive analyst Connor Stalions, surfaced, showing he paid off people to watch their opponents play and look out for their play signals. Opposing teams are not allowed to personally scout their upcoming opponents, and this was revealed in 2023, when Michigan won a national title.
What Kind of Punishment Did Jim Harbaugh Receive Over the Michigan Sign Stealing Scandal?
Michigan got a hefty fine that is expected to cost the school at least $20 million, while Sherrone Moore, the current head coach, will only be suspended for one more game. The question is, how heavy was the penalty to then-head coach Jim Harbaugh?
The LA Chargers coach was slapped with a 10-year show cause penalty, which takes effect after his ongoing four-year show cause penalty for violating COVID-19 recruiting regulations. This means that he is barred from coaching in college football until at least 2038.
Despite this, he remains a head coach to this day, as his NCAA ban would not affect him over at the NFL, which was why many fans were not happy with the punishment.
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