"He's a damn good coach" - 3x Super Bowl champ Shannon Sharpe heaps praise on Jim Harbaugh after national championship victory

Shannon Sharpe, a fierce critic of the Michigan Wolverines, appeared to have a change of heart after the team's national championship victory over the Washington Huskies on Tuesday.

On First Take, the three-time Super Bowl winner heaped praise on Jim Harbaugh, describing him as a "damn good coach:"

“Whatever you want to think about coach Harbaugh, the one thing that you cannot say is that ‘he's not a damn good coach.’ Whatever level you put him on, the collegiate level, the NFL level, ‘he's a damn good coach.’”

“Yes, he might grind you down over a period of time, but the facts speak for themselves. They are the national champions, and they deserve to be.”

Sharpe highlighted that Harbaugh resolved the team's past failures. Michigan has defeated Ohio State, secured another Big Ten title, won the Rose Bowl and beaten strong teams like Alabama and Washington. That's why they are national champions.

Shannon Sharpe dismisses Jim Harbaugh's idea of Michigan being "America's team"

Shannon Sharpe, a month earlier, strongly disagreed with Harbaugh's claim that Michigan had become "America's team." His comment came amid criticism surrounding the team's alleged participation in a sign-stealing scheme.

The three-time Super Bowl champion said the attempt to portray Michigan as "America's team" was unfounded:

“Americans don't like cheaters, they don't … That team beat you because they were better than you, not because you did something that was against the rules. For him (Harbaugh) to try to pin it: ‘Oh, we're America's team.’ No, you're not. I don't think he's a very likable coach. I really don't.”

“I don't think he's very likable. That's just me personally, but for him to say, ‘Oh, we're America's team and it was us against the world,’ you created this. I feel bad for the kids, but I feel bad for the other kids also that had their sign stolen and had an unfair advantage.”

A three-game suspension was imposed on Harbaugh by the Big 10 after they investigated the allegations of sign stealing. Harbaugh has maintained that he was unaware of any illicit scouting practices in his program.