When the NCAA gives a 10-year or longer show-cause order, it is not a penalty anymore but likely a death blow to a career.
According to CBS Sports, Jim Harbaugh will serve a 10-year show-cause as the end of his four-year ban amid the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
Connor Stalions also got hit with an eight-year show-cause penalty, and the university is expected to pay significant fines as well.
5 Severe NCAA Show-Cause Penalties of the Recent Past
1. Jim Harbaugh — 10-Year Show-Cause (Starting 2028)
The NCAA has imposed a 10-year show-cause on Harbaugh in connection with the sign-stealing scandal in Michigan, which would take effect after the end of his existing four-year case in 2028. Harbaugh currently coaches for the Los Angeles Chargers, and the show cause would only materialize if he resumes his coaching career in college football.
2. Brad Bohannon — 15-Year Show-Cause (Until 2039)
One of the longest sentences ever handed out was for Alabama’s former baseball coach. Bohannon received a 15-year show-cause in 2024 over gambling and refusal to cooperate with investigators. This was tied for the longest show-cause penalty the NCAA has ever handed out.
3. Donnie Tyndall — 10-Year Show-Cause (Until 2026)
Tyndall was given a 10-year show-cause on account of academic fraud and financial misconduct involving his tenure at Southern Miss. The punishment extended to 2026 and prevented him from coaching at the college level.
4. Dave Bliss — 10-Year Show-Cause (2005–2015)
After a scandal at Baylor involving illicit payments and player cover-ups, Bliss was banned with a 10-year show-cause. His misconduct remains one of the most notorious NCAA coaching violations.
5. Jerome Allen — 15-Year Show-Cause (Through 2035)
Allen, a former Penn basketball coach, was penalized the longest in NCAA history by being given a 15-year penalty in a case that involved bribery and recruiting impropriety. Allen pleaded guilty in the federal case and was ordered to pay back the money that was given to him.
Final Thoughts
These show-cause punishments seem to be the worst form of reprimand by the NCAA. It places coaches on a blacklist that locks them out of college coaching circles indefinitely. The ten-year sanction imposed by Harbaugh is not alone on a small but infamous list that is dominated by severe NCAA misconduct cases.
Rarely do coaches get hired or even return to collegiate sports after a show-cause. With the evolving nature of enforcement, these old cases seem to signal how actions on the field and off the field can shape entire coaching careers.
Read More:
What Did Jim Harbaugh And Connor Stalions Do? Reason Behind Multi-Year Show Cause Penalty Explained
