Jim Harbaugh on suspension: ‘Bat to the kneecaps’
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh isn’t sure what he’ll do Saturday during the first of his three-game suspension, saying, ‘I haven’t decided yet.’ This is unfamiliar territory for a guy who often played through serious injury, showed up to practice as a coach when ill, etc. It was clear Monday during his opening game week presser it didn’t sit well.
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Harbaugh opened his Monday press conference talking about revenue sharing for his players. It advanced to assistant coach duties and the like before he was asked what he planned to do with his first three Saturdays of the fall. As most know, he was suspended by Michigan for the ECU, UNLV, and Bowling Green games for his response to alleged recruiting violations.
“I really don’t know yet,” Harbaugh said when asked what he’d do Saturday. “There’s a chance my son Jack’s team is going to be playing at the same time. If he’s playing, I’ll go watch that game. I don’t know … I don’t know if I’ll watch it on TV, if I won’t be able to watch. I can’t predict what it’s going to be at the time. It’s uncharted waters for me.”
And it’s tougher than some imagine, he added. Football is and has been a huge part of his life, and he has never been through anything like this before. When he played, it was often through pain.
“I’ve heard people comment, ‘it’s a slap on the wrist.’ It’s more like a baseball bat to the kneecaps or to the shoulder,” Harbaugh said. “I equate everything to football. I’ve never missed three games unless it was for a broken arm or dislocated shoulder.
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“As a college player, I had my arm broken, missed six games I think it was. As a pro player, I don’t think I ever missed three in a row, and I had all kinds of injuries. The ribs, the broken fingers, things like that. Concussions never kept me out of the game. I had an MCL that I put a brace on and played, and a shoulder separation. I think that might have been two games, might have been three. It was at the end of the season. It would have been more.”
But he will honor the suspension, even if it’s clear he isn’t happy about it. As he said at this year’s Big Ten Media day, “nothing to be ashamed of.” Asked about how the news of his university-imposed three-game suspension was delivered and his relationship with athletic director Warde Manuel, meanwhile, Harbaugh paused.
“I don’t want to go into how it was conveyed. It was conveyed, and I respect his decision,” Harbaugh said. “[Beyond that], you know I’m completely muzzled when it comes to talking about that.”
The NCAA will decide at a later date whether the three-game punishment will suffice.
