Kirk Herbstreit surprised at Jim Harbaugh, Michigan punishment from Big Ten

Kirk Herbstreit was surprised any punishment came down on Jim Harbaugh and Michigan during the season. The head coach was suspended for the final three games of the regular season amid the sign stealing scandal.

The decision from the Big Ten Conference came down as the Wolverines traveled and landed at Penn State. However, Michigan is planning on Harbaugh coaching in the event of Judge Carol Kuhnke to rule on Michigan’s request for a temporary restraining order. If that’s the case, Harbaugh will coach, otherwise he’ll be absent Saturday.

How this all came down this week was a bit of a surprise from Herbstreit.

“I really thought that this would be something that might be addressed after the season,” Herbstreit said on SportsCenter. “Michigan is in the midst of a magical season, a shot to possibly win a Big Ten championship and get to the playoffs and maybe win a national championship and I just thought the Big Ten would be maybe forced by the NCAA to make some kind of movement. It’s unprecedented times. 

“We’ve never seen anything like this. So we have an unprecedented reaction from a conference to try to take away a head coach from a season where they’re undefeated.” 

However with the punishment in place, it’s hard to take the situation differently other than these are the facts.

“My reaction is these are now facts,” Herbstreit said. “You know that the fact that there was a system put in place there for Michigan to try to record other teams, coaches, putting signs and taking them back home and lining those with the film that you know, people have tried to steal signs forever, since football first started just like in baseball. 

“Think about how they tried to steal signs in baseball but what the Astros did that one year, everybody was like ‘wait, they’re hitting trash cans?’ I mean, it’s going to a different level. And I think with Michigan that’s kind of how people are evaluating the level and the lengths that they went to.” 

Herbstreit preferred if action and the process played out after the season, but he doesn’t see any changes in Michigan down the stretch.

“So my reaction is, it’d be great if this was something personally that they could have addressed after the season,” Herbstreit said. “I think Michigan will rally around this. I’ll be shocked to see this impact in one way or another. 

“I think it’ll be something I think you already saw assurance and said Michigan against everybody. I think the team will really come together and I think they’ll become even more united than they weren’t before. So I’m excited to see how they react today at noon.”

No. 3 Michigan takes on No. 10 Penn State at 12:00 p.m. ET.