Tom Brady has his say on Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh's Big Ten suspension
With Jim Harbaugh facing Big Ten censure, Tom Brady joined current and former Michigan players to stand in solidarity with the current head coach of the program.
Big Ten took the decision to ban Jim Harbaugh from the sidelines for the rest of the 2023 season for sign-stealing. He has denied any wrongdoing and said he was not aware of it. And many in the Michigan program feel that they have been dealt with harshly, contending that other teams have done the same as well.
The word "bet' has arisen in solidarity within the camp and players are posting that. J.J. McCarthy, the current quarterback also posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in line with that trend. Using that as the base, former NFL great and Michigan alum Tom Brady also responded with the same word.
Why are Tom Brady and other Michigan players feeling hard done by Jim Harbaugh's ban?
College football rules are clear. While teams may act on decoding the signs that opposing coaches use for their teams, they are not allowed to steal them in advance. In relation to that, staff members may not attend future opponents' and they are not allowed to videotape either. Connor Stalions, a former recruiting analyst for the program, is said to have broken those rules.
Big Ten has determined that these violations happened with the knowledge of Jim Harbaugh, a conclusion that Michigan has opposed. The head coach will be allowed to coach the team during the week but may not appear on the sidelines this season based on the punishment handed down, which the university is expected to appeal.
Their appeal will likely center on the head coach's denials about knowing anything about this scheme. They have also pointed out that other teams also bend the rules, specifically highlighting Ohio State, Rutgers and Purdue having conspired to steal signs in a coordinated effort. It is the second fact that is making former players like Tom Brady feel that their team is being hard done by.
However, a team that has gone on to win the Big Ten Championships twice in the last years was always bound to invite scrutiny. Other teams will feel hard done by that Michigan were allowed to get away with these championships despite them apparently breaking the rules. Last year in the National Championships, they lost to TCU, who used dummy signals once they had their suspicions that Michigan had stolen their signs.
Might Jim Harbaugh have won fewer titles if this had been nipped in the bud earlier? It is a hypothetical that is difficult to answer.