Newsstand: Paul Finebaum defends Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, calling NCAA 'clown show'
Tweets Of The Day
Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh and talking head Paul Finebaum, who blows smoke about the sport daily on ESPN, have traded blows in the past. Finebaum often criticizes the 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year, but he had his back in this case, with Harbaugh facing a potential suspension for failing to cooperate with an NCAA investigation. Finebaum railed on the NCAA on Get Up! with Mike Greenberg.
“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.”
“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.”
According to The Action Network, Michigan will play Michigan State at night in East Lansing Oct. 21. MSU players, unprovoked, attacked U-M players in The Big House tunnel after losing 29-7 last season. A Detroit-area radio host named Mike Valenti made a potential threat against Michigan fans who may be looking to attend the in-state game.
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Former Michigan quarterback David Cone, now a podcast host and sports media pundit, weighs in on Harbaugh’s situation.
Quote Of The Day
“The one questionable area that is not elite right now is the wide receiver position. There’s nobody that jumps out as just being an elite player. But I think they’ve got intangible things like toughness and chemistry and leadership that put them in a position to be able to say, ‘Yeah, I think we can win the whole thing.’”
NBC analyst Todd Blackledge on Michigan
Headlines Of The Day
• Clayton Sayfie, The Wolverine: Todd Blackledge weighs in on potential Michigan-MSU night game, Jim Harbaugh suspension, expectations for Wolverines
• Chris Balas, The Wolverine: Mel Tucker doesn’t want Michigan – MSU rivalry ‘reined in’
• Anthony Broome, The Wolverine: Three things we overheard at day one of Big Ten Football Media Days: Moving ‘The Game,’ U-M/MSU rivalry state, a wrinkle in NBC/FOX/CBS TV times
• Chris Balas, The Wolverine: Ohio State alum, NBC analyst Josh Perry: ‘Michigan certainly has the edge’ over OSU