Mike Sainristil opens up on how Michigan will handle suspension for Jim Harbaugh

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is likely to face a four-game suspension to begin the season over program violations uncovered during an NCAA investigation and how Harbaugh handled the aftermath.

It will leave a College Football Playoff hopeful without its chief leadership for about a month. Players, though, think they’ll handle it just fine.

“I’ll say great. We’ll go out there and play the football that he wants us to play,” defensive back Mike Sainristil said. “I know whether he’s there or not he’s going to be happy to watch us play. Not happy to not be coaching out there, but we’re going to go out there and do what he’d want us to do.”

That was a similar message as the one star running back Blake Corum delivered at the Big Ten Media Days regarding the likely four-game suspension.

Corum, like Sainristil, believes the team will be just fine without their head coach and might even be motivated to do a little better than normal without him.

“I don’t really know too much about the whole situation,” Corum told reporters on site. “I don’t really know what’s going on. But, you know, we’re gonna treat each game the same. We know coach Harbaugh, whether he’s there or not, he’s gonna be there spirit. He’s prepared us. You know, so those four games we could rally together. Like I said, if anything is gonna light a fire under us, (it’ll) make us want to win even more.

“We love coach Harbaugh. We’re all behind him. Coach Harbaugh is a great coach. And he’s a great human being. He’s done so many good things for the community, for us, you hate to see it, I don’t know what’s going on. You know, but if that is the case, we’re gonna keep playing ball and we’re gonna play for him.”

For his part, Harbaugh hasn’t been able to comment on the possible looming four-game suspension.

According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Harbaugh not being fully forthcoming with NCAA investigators was a sticking point in the investigation and a key reason for the impending suspension.

Still, Harbaugh wouldn’t address the issue at Big Ten Media Days.

“No comment on any aspect of it. I always treat everything like a football game. Every time, win or lose, I come to this podium or this stage since 1982,” Harbaugh said. “As a football player, football coach, I could lay it all out there, but this is one of those situations where I cannot do that.”