"If I was in Jim Harbaugh's shoes NFL would be an option": Desmond Howard claims Michigan HC should quit "laser-focused" Wolverines to evade penalties

Rumors regarding Jim Harbaugh's future continue to abound, with many wondering if the Michigan coach will be at Ann Arbor next season. This week Desmond Howard pitched in an edition of the Pat McAfee show, to give his thoughts on what the future might hold for the Wolverines HC.

Howard specifically referred to why the coach might be interested in leaving the school, and college football in general, for good:

“If I was in Jim Harbaugh's shoes the NFL would be an option to me after what happened with the new Big Ten Commissioner... I don't know what's gonna happen when the season is over but this Michigan team is laser focused.”

We mustn't forget that Harbaugh spent half the season on the sidelines due to bans. To start the year, the school had a three-game self-imposed ban designed to quell the anger of the NCAA regarding an investigation of recruiting violations by the coach during the COVID-19 pandemic. Later on, Harbaugh endured a second ban, this one imposed by the Big Ten, for another three games due to Michigan's involvement in a sign-stealing scandal.

Harbaugh claims to know nothing about the sign-stealing incident involving a member of his staff, Connor Stalions. Nonetheless, the Big Ten penalized him for allowing such an incident to occur under his watch.

Avoiding consequences: Could the threat of further NCAA action encourage Jim Harbaugh to leave for the NFL?

A theory that's popping up ever more consistently, is that Harbaugh is set on leaving for the NFL to avoid repercussions from recent scandals. Let's not forget that both the alleged recruitment violations and the sign-stealing scandal continue under NCAA investigation. Those investigations continue to dangle like a Damocles sword over Harbaugh's head.

Furthermore, a recent report by Detroit News claims that the NCAA now believes the coach lied to them in the course of the recruitment violations investigation. If so, Harbaugh could be facing a Level 1 violation, the highest type of violation in college athletics.

For the moment, Jim Harbaugh should remain laser-focused on winning the national title. This might be the last chance he gets.