Harbaugh's Attorney: "he would deny having any knowledge"
https://x.com/DanWetzel/status/1715101582499422507?s=20
From Harbaugh's attorney. Vague language in this I'm sure because they can't comment openly.
“I’ve spoken to Coach Harbaugh about what we’ve read in the sports news and if NCAA rules allowed him to make a public statement I am sure he would deny having any knowledge of what was reported.”
October 19th, 2023 at 4:46 PM ^
Warde, take notes. That's how you answer the question.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:00 PM ^
I want to upvote this more than I did.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:48 PM ^
Upvoted for the screen name
October 19th, 2023 at 4:49 PM ^
He should make a public statement that the ass kickings his team has been doling out are 100% authentic ass kickings and that these will continue into the foreseeable future
October 19th, 2023 at 4:53 PM ^
Or, they will increase with intensity until morale improves..
October 19th, 2023 at 4:54 PM ^
I had to review the Rutgers situation after people mentioned Schiano's comments at halftime.
We were up 14-7 at Halftime. We outscored them 17-0 in the 2nd half.
So ask yourself:
1. Would UofM risk a compliance issue over a shitty Rutgers team? They didn't need to cheat to beat them.
2. If we were cheating and if Schiano knew about it...why didn't he change it at halftime? Getting his ass whipped WORSE after halftime would indicate we didn't cheat in the 1st half, or he's an idiot for not changing things up.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:09 PM ^
I saw someone on twitter mention that he was asked about his halftime comments after the game and he said something about not liking the way that his team was doing a few things. and then went on to praise michigan for being a hell of a football team
October 19th, 2023 at 5:17 PM ^
We, the thinking, imply logic. It all makes sense me. Michigan did not cheat. Greg Schiano comes across as a cry baby. Besides, his team barely beat the Spartans and at home. His team didn't look good until they woke up in the 4th quarter.
I have been rooting for Rutgers to have a successful season until this bullsh!t hit the fan with Schiano today. Now, I hope they lose out. Maybe Schiano can blame somebody else after they lose again.
Know that the NCAA has had it in for Harbaugh since he had those successful satellite camps in 2015. IMO, there was no need for Jim to sit out the first three games of this season. That's on Warde.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:26 PM ^
This is HILARIOUS. Schiano thought Michigan was so worried about RUTGERS that they employed a vast network to illegally scout them?
This is almost the funniest thing that I have ever heard in sports.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:57 PM ^
No proof to it, just fan conspiracy that Schiano was one of the 2.
October 19th, 2023 at 6:24 PM ^
From Wilkipedia:
In December 2007, the Star-Ledger reported that Schiano spoke with University of Michigan athletic director Bill Martin "for quite a while" on December 5 about the head-coaching vacancy at the school. Two days later, he withdrew his name from consideration…
In 2016, after two seasons coaching Berkeley Preparatory School and sending two players to Davidson College in North Carolina, Schiano was hired by head coach Urban Meyer to serve as defensive coordinator/associate head coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes football program…
While the Ohio State defense struggled in 2018 after losing defensive end Nick Bosa, Schiano took on a larger role, helping then interim head coach Ryan Day during head coach Urban Meyer's suspension…
In 2016, a Philadelphia court released documents in relation to the Penn State child sex abuse scandal revealing testimony from Mike McQueary stating that Schiano was aware of the abuse by fellow assistant coach Jerry Sandusky…
On November 26, 2017, the University of Tennessee was set to announce Schiano as the head football coach. However, due to a social media campaign including state representatives, alumni, national and local sportswriters, fans, and gubernatorial candidates, unhappy with Schiano's tenure at Penn State during the child sex abuse scandal, Tennessee backed out of the deal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Schiano
October 19th, 2023 at 6:07 PM ^
He was whining about the refs not sign stealing.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:27 PM ^
Or, “we remain in the ass-kicking business, and expect business to stay good.”
October 19th, 2023 at 4:52 PM ^
Warde's job is not to simply deny according to his personal lawyer if he could say something but he can't so even the denial is unofficial. He must affirm a desire to cooperate with the investigation on behalf of the athletic department and university. That's what every athletic department states in these moments. Whether true or not.
This is merely procedural and not personal.
The real leadership right now is taking place out of our sight, behind closed doors.
Why is this so hard for folks to understand?
October 19th, 2023 at 4:55 PM ^
Because the NCAA and the BIG are acting completely unethically. There is no excuse for them discussing the matter with other teams. None. Even if he does not issue a denial, it’s cowardly at a minimum for him not to call them on that. He is getting pushed around.
October 19th, 2023 at 8:17 PM ^
Not only that, but the NCAA releases detailed information about what the investigation is related to, to the public, thereby smearing Harbaugh and Michigan without giving them the chance to respond. It's blatant hypocrisy from the NCAA.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:10 PM ^
Yeah, by what's been reported I'm not sure Warde and UM have anything else to go on other than a form letter saying they're being investigated. They definitely didn't have any of the evidence from the NCAA as of 2 or whenever. So all he can do is say "we'll comply with an investigation" because his job is to protect the school and saying anything more without info could make him look bad and by proxy his employer. It can seem weak on paper but he's not Harbaugh's attorney or friend, he's his boss and so he's gotta look out for what's best for UM here.
Now if it comes out this was all bullshit and Warde still doesn't step up his defense then by all means lay into him.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:10 PM ^
While I don't disagree, in principle, I would say it is less operable in 2023. The NCAA is a failing organization.
For example, they were banning a transfer of a player, Tez Walker, to North Carolina. You know what got things moving and resolved things? It wasn't UNC putting out pablum statements saying they "respect the process" and are looking for the matter to be resolved soon. It was when North Carolina's coaches & AD started loudly complaining about the NCAA and then threatening to sue. The day before the suit was filed, the NCAA made a whiny statement and (more importantly) immediately made Walker available.
Walker said his legal team began preparing the necessary court filings to sue the NCAA, in all likelihood by Friday, Oct. 6. State attorney general Josh Stein also threatened legal action against the NCAA in a letter he sent to the NCAA on Sept. 26, saying its decision likely violated federal and state antitrust laws.
On Thursday, Oct. 5, Brown called Walker up to his office. Walker walked in and saw Galloway standing there, too. "You're eligible," Brown told him. "You're eligible, big dog!"
I'm not saying Warde should have come out of the gate with a "My offer is this: Nothing" type of statement. But he's not dealing with federal law enforcement; he is dealing with an organization that is trying to bluster its way in continued relevancy and more often now can fold like a cheap suit if they are contested. He should act accordingly even if UM is "guilty" of whatever MSU etc thinks Harbaugh & co did.
October 19th, 2023 at 10:20 PM ^
Just to be clear, the NCAA was not "banning a transfer of a player, Tez Walker, to North Carolina." He transferred, as allowed by NCAA regulations. What they did was deny him a waiver of existing NCAA rules on second transfers.
I think the NCAA was wrong in that instance, but we don't need to make up NCAA offences that never happened.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:32 PM ^
Because he wouldn't come out after the investigation and stand up for his guy. Well, it may be different this time. We understand. We just don't believe he will do anything afterwards. I want to be wrong.
October 19th, 2023 at 6:59 PM ^
Because some see a conspiracy around every corner and others choose to believe what they want to believe.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:53 PM ^
That language is not vague, it's art. HANG IT IN THE LOUVRE.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:56 PM ^
Like a great lawyer, he rallied the populace, painted his client in a good light, and said a whole lot of nothing of any legal value all at once.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:53 PM ^
Way to speak through the attorney JH! I assume this isn't Tom Mars, but I do wonder what he has to say about it. He is the Dr. James Andrews of NCAA legalese.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:57 PM ^
Tom Mars is his attorney.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:14 PM ^
I stand shamed for not clicking an accurately placed link by OP. I was worried they parted ways after Warde went flaccid over cheeseburgers.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:42 PM ^
Tom Mars is the best thing to come out of Arkansas since the last John L Smith press conference.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:54 PM ^
"I also confirmed Harbaugh wasn't pleasuring himself as we spoke" ... would've been a nice eat-shit MSU addition to that statement.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:56 PM ^
“I’ve spoken to Coach Harbaugh about what we’ve read in the sports news and if NCAA rules allowed him to make a public statement I am sure he would say the NCAA is a toothless organization run by a coward who should suck his dick.”
October 19th, 2023 at 4:59 PM ^
"Rumor has it an anonymous party wanted to hang a hundred complaints against UM for kicking his ass 42-27, I mean 45-23, I mean we only had one bad quarter... DAMN! I mean, I don't know who issued the complaints. But he was definitely not jacking off on the phone when he called."
October 19th, 2023 at 4:57 PM ^
Fire Warde, hire Harbaughs attorney.
October 19th, 2023 at 4:58 PM ^
I find Mars to be pretty irritating at times but he's really good at the part of being a lawyer where you insult the other side by pointing out how whiny and defensive they are via stuff like arbitrary rules they've created that allows them to basically talk shit without allowing a public rebuttal. Just dragging the NCAA by their own "hold me back bro" rules.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:03 PM ^
Michigan has been found to be complicit in winning football games and this will not stand! The NCAA has its Tennessean investigators reviewing every breath Jim Harbaugh has ever expelled.
Fortunately this will have no effect on the programs ascendance and success amplification.
I wonder how the largest college football fanbase should react?
October 19th, 2023 at 5:05 PM ^
The point is denial means nothing when you can't respond because the very nature of the allegation is a mystery. What does it stem from? What are we talking about? Advanced scouting is now a crime?
Can you define what sign stealing even means and how you benefit from a competitive standpoint?
How could you even document or prove the underlying contention of signal cheating? There would have to be a systemic process in place in which you have somehow cracked the code of pregame and preparation understanding that gives you a timely advantage: surveilling opposition locker rooms, monitoring sideline meetings, channeling communication devices, breaking down the nomenclature of every opposing team that provides an inherent competitive advantage.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:09 PM ^
The accusation is that we had people (either paid or close to the program) scouting future opponents in advance, then digesting that information to prepare us for game day. So essentially they are saying we had spies watching MSU for the past 6 weeks, learning their signs and prepping our team for it.
This implies our opponents never change their signs (dumb if true). It also implies we have someone on staff who is unlucky enough to suffer through 6 games of MSU football.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:18 PM ^
But the only source of this is the yahoo article. I would LOVE to see the allegation so we can all see that this is the actual rule broken.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:26 PM ^
There’s a rumor that Harbaugh was at the MSU-Washington game in East Lansing when he was serving his 3 game suspension. He bought seats behind MSU’s bench and was heckling Dantonio while eating a cheeseburger and chugging some whole milk.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:28 PM ^
Also, there is a lot of hand waving conflating "sign stealing" and the in-person scouting rule.
The first (which is not against the rules) sounds a lot more like cheating to the average person. The second (while an NCAA rule) most people would react to as "so what?"
The art of the PR hit job.
October 19th, 2023 at 7:23 PM ^
Precisely. People are jumping to the "they're the Astros / Patriots" conclusion, when nothing of the sort is being alleged. But without the noise about "stealing signs," this would barely have elicited a yawn from the collective football consciousness.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:41 PM ^
High school teams scout future opponents. I'd be pissed if Michigan didn't, regardless of the little known codicil in the Faber handbook.
October 19th, 2023 at 8:31 PM ^
This! I’d be upset to learn that our multi-million dollar football program wasn’t pushing every boundary on scouting opposing teams. I can’t wait until the NCAA implodes.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:15 PM ^
That’s a smart lawyer. Make a statement without making a statement.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:28 PM ^
I was just told by a friend tied to the NCAA that the complaint is based on a revelation by a former UM employee. Could it be Weiss? Does he have any proof, or is he mad for getting fired? Gattis? Who else was let go?
October 19th, 2023 at 5:43 PM ^
Matt Dudek
October 19th, 2023 at 5:44 PM ^
According to the article the complaint is from two teams they played this year.
October 19th, 2023 at 5:55 PM ^
My friend's impression was that the information from a former employee triggered this. Perhaps this employee talked to someone from these teams. He would not give anything more.
October 19th, 2023 at 6:09 PM ^
Dudek strikes again?
October 19th, 2023 at 6:21 PM ^
Your friend is either Balas or you and Balas have the same "friend".
October 19th, 2023 at 6:22 PM ^
Again, this is the same information Balas is saying. Are you Chris Balas?
October 19th, 2023 at 8:04 PM ^
I’m not Balas and do not know him. I have heard his name but do follow him. Also, I had not heard this allegation from anyone else.