Paul Finebaum rips Jim Harbaugh by calling his comments "pathetic" for referring to Michigan as America's Team
It has been a rollercoaster ride for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh this year. While the Wolverines have been dominating on the field, Harbaugh has been fighting his own battles of allegations and suspensions off the field.
Most recently, Harbaugh was suspended for the remaining games of the season for his alleged involvement in the infamous sign-stealing scandal. Michigan defeated Penn State in Week 11 with interim coach Sherrone Moore at the helm. Later on, Harbaugh went on to call the program 'America's Team' amidst his unavailability on the sidelines.
This did not sit well with CFB analyst Paul Finebaum. During his appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter after the Michigan-Penn State game, Finebaum did not mince his words in blasting Jim Harbaugh for his comments, calling it 'sad' and 'pathetic'.
"I found it sad and pathetic. Why? Because this isn't America's Team. This isn't what America's about. Here we are, just days removed from Veteran's Day, where we honor people who are really representative of America. This team is not representative of anything other than a program accused of cheating."
"Trying to steal signs to gain an unfair advantage. That's not the way this country was built and that's not what should be described as America's team," Finebaum said.
While the suspension levied by the Big Ten on Jim Harbaugh is currently active, the Michigan Wolverines have filed for a temporary restraining order to revert the decision so their head coach can be on the sidelines for the remaining regular season games. The hearing for the order is expected to be this upcoming Friday.
Jim Harbaugh calls Michigan 'America's Team' after emerging triumphant over Penn State
The Wolverines continue to remain undefeated with a 10-game winning streak this campaign. They defeated the Nittany Lions 24-15 in a high-octane Week 11 game. After the game, Harbaugh went on to praise his team for emerging victorious in his absence.
"The perseverance, you know, and the stalwartness of these guys. I mean, it's gotta be America's Team. It's gotta be America's Team. America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, you know, overcome what the naysayers and critics and so called experts think. That's my favorite kind of team," Harbaugh said.
It will be interesting to see if Jim Harbaugh will be allowed to return for Michigan's final games with Maryland and Ohio State in the coming weeks.