"I wouldn't pay any attention": Jim Harbaugh's attorney claps back at NCAA suspension while flexing $80M contract with LA Chargers

Jim Harbaugh's attorney, Tom Mars, doesn't think that the recent decision by the NCAA to suspend the coach is anything to worry about. The ruling body of college athletics hit Harbaugh with a one-year suspension and a four-year show-cause order. The show-cause order started on Wednesday and will expire on Aug. 6, 2028.

The decision was taken concerning an investigation by the NCAA regarding the coach having improper contact with recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This would seem very harsh for the former Michigan Wolverines coach. However, calling this order a punishment is almost a misnomer, given that the coach is now in the NFL with the LA Chargers and seems to have no plans of returning to the collegiate level. That's exactly the point made by his attorney, Tom Mars.

"The way I see it, from Coach Harbaugh's perspective, today's COI [Committee on Infractions] decision is like being in your college and getting a letter from your high school saying you've been suspended because you didn't sign the yearbook.

"If I were in Coach Harbaugh's shoes and had an $80 million contract as a head coach of the Chargers, I wouldn't pay any attention to the findings of a kangaroo court which claims to represent the principles of the nation's most flagrant, repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws."

What did the NCAA say about Jim Harbaugh's actions?

On Wednesday, the NCAA released a statement regarding Jim Harbaugh's actions.

"The panel noted that Harbaugh's intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct amplified the severity of the case and prompted the panel to classify Harbaugh's case as Level I-Aggravated, with penalties to include a four-year show-cause order. Subsumed in the show-cause order is a one-season suspension for Harbaugh,"

The University of Michigan and the NCAA had previously reached an agreement that put the former on probation for three years and severely limited their ability to recruit. The school had also already been fined. However, Jim Harbaugh disputed that he didn't cooperate with NCAA investigators, so his case was handled separately.