Paul Finebaum calls NCAA handling of Jim Harbaugh suspension 'a clown show'

News emerged about one of college football’s anticipated playoff contenders on Tuesday, with a report breaking that Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is facing a likely four-game suspension over alleged Michigan violations of NCAA rules.

At least one ESPN analyst is staunchly in Harbaugh’s corner on the whole ordeal.

“Let’s start with the NCAA. It’s beyond a clown show, Greeney, it is a clown show and the fact that that they would sanction him for this is really beyond the pale,” Paul Finebaum said on Get Up on ESPN on Wednesday morning. “I mean, essentially, He’s accused of buying somebody a hamburger and then not telling the truth about it.”

As Yahoo! Sports noted in a report from Ross Dellenger, a resolution fell through after the coach began meeting with the NCAA over a possible Jim Harbaugh suspension.

“A quick resolution broke down in January after Harbaugh refused to admit that he lied to NCAA staff,” Dellenger wrote regarding Harbaugh. “The 59-year-old coach has maintained he didn’t recall the events when first speaking with investigators but that he was never purposefully dishonest.”

Finebaum seemed to applaud Harbaugh for sticking it to the NCAA.

“I mean, (Mike Greenberg), don’t eject me out of my seat here, but I’m starting to respect Jim Harbaugh for standing firm and refusing to go down the NCAA’s path,” Finebaum said. “This could have been over with a long time ago, but Harbaugh would not admit he lied. And because the NCAA is so backwards and so antediluvian, they ended up with this agreement.

“In the end, the NCAA has no jurisdiction over anyone or anybody and they can’t push things too far, because the schools will take them to court and the NCAA maybe will lose. But in the end, I think Jim Harbaugh looks really good here and this might be my final broadcast ever on this earth, because I’m leaving.”

What is clear is that a Jim Harbaugh suspension is likely to sideline the coach for the first four games of the season, a stretch that includes a conference game against Rutgers.

Would that be enough to derail Michigan and any potential playoff hopes? That remains to be seen.

Finebaum, however, doesn’t see the Wolverines as a three-time playoff participant in 2023.

“I say no. They’re capable of it and they have they have everything you need to get there, but I think Lady Luck is going to go against them this time,” he said. “I think the team to beat in the Big Ten is Ohio State and I think ultimately that’s where Michigan moves from inside the cutline to the outside.”