‘The Price’ excerpt: Jim Harbaugh turned down ‘life-altering money’ to stay at U-M

Most who know Jim Harbaugh understand how much he loves Michigan and why he was torn between his alma mater and the NFL. In The Price: What it Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos, a soon-to-be released, must-read book from Armen Keteyian and John Talty, the authors document how Harbaugh turned down the Denver Broncos’ huge offer to return to U-M in 2023. 

Harbaugh knew he was in the NCAA crosshairs despite his insistence he had done nothing wrong, and the Broncos came strong. He decided to return — the result, of course, was a National Championship, the program’s first since 1997. 

From the compelling The Price now on presale at Amazon among other outlets:

“Entering his ninth season as the man at Michigan, Harbaugh had lost none of his famous fire. He loved his 2023 team … this devotion was underscored by the fact that just a few months earlier, Harbaugh himself had turned down the head coaching job and life-altering Walmart money from the owners of the Denver Broncos to stay in Ann Arbor.

“’I swear the only reason he turned down the Broncos was loyalty,’” said a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations. ‘He had those guys coming back. He explained it to me. He was apologetic about it. I owe it to these guys. These guys have every reason to expect me to be there when they come back, and I have to be there for them.’’” 

So, what changed between 2023 and 2024, when Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers? Sources told us long ago Harbaugh had “lost trust” in some at the university to help him fight what many thought was a concerted effort to drive him out of the college game. The breaking point, it appears, was the university’s decision not to continue to fight a three-game, Big Ten-imposed suspension last season over sign stealing allegations. 

Keteyian and Talty quoted Harbaugh’s attorney, Tom Mars, on a contentious conversation during which he alleged U-M’s general counsel essentially forced him to withdraw a lawsuit seeking a temporary order. That would have allowed him to keep coaching. Mars made it clear he got Harbaugh’s consent “not because he agrees with it, but because you (the general counsel) said he doesn’t have a choice.”

“If anything marked the beginning of the end of Jim Harbaugh’s time in Ann Arbor, one would be hard pressed to find a more salient moment,” the authors wrote. 

The book further details the relationship between Harbaugh and A.D. Warde Manuel. Manuel was quoted and pushed back hard on allegations it was contentious, but as previously reported, Harbaugh reportedly made the decision to leave Michigan in part because he didn’t believe in the A.D. leadership.

“During a two-day getaway with his wife Sarah on Coronado Island off the coast of San Diego, Harbaugh unloaded to longtime friend Todd Anson. He told Anson he wanted to remain at Michigan but believed Manuel — no matter his public pronouncements — was not the advocate he needed in his corner, particularly in front of the Board of Regents. He also raged against Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti, who before the three-game Big Ten suspension had promised to meet Harbaugh in Ann Arbor and brief him on what the conference was doing, only to stand him up. [Through a spokesperson, Petitti declined an interview request.]

“The day after his outburst to Anson, Harbaugh had an initial interview with the Los Angeles Chargers. Afterward, his tone had softened. Leaning toward taking the NFL job, if offered, he dialed down the Manuel rhetoric, no longer interested in a potential legal battle and fighting people he later said were “gunning for me.” It suggested in attitude and tone that his days in Ann Arbor were numbered.

“Indeed they were.”

To order The Price, click here: The Price: What it Takes to Win in College Football’s Era of Chaos