In leading Michigan to being the No. 3-ranked team in the country, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has taken a defiant tone to the arrows and slings hurled at him and his program. Despite Michigan having a perfect 10-0 record, much of Harbaugh’s energy has been devoted to fighting an NCAA suspension for a sign-stealing scandal, which he finally chose to accept prior to last weekend and just before Michigan’s annual game against arch-rival Ohio State — leaving the Wolverines without their leader just before a decisive battle that will likely determine whether or not they’ll contend for the national championship.
Speaking to the media in the leadup to “The Game,” Harbaugh did not discuss the ongoing fallout of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, nor did he address the firing of assistant coach Chris Partridge. He did, however, have the energy to make a somewhat strange analogy when discussing how he and his team are dealing with the outside noise.
When asked about the challenge of dealing with the scrutiny and narratives that exist around Michigan, Harbaugh referenced the popular “Ted Lasso” television series by directly quoting Jason Sudeikis’ titular character.
“It’s like that Ted Lasso show: Believe. What comes out of that is believe,” Harbaugh said. “I’m just so proud, so proud of our team. Despite that noise, our locker room’s in one piece. Like Ted, for me, locker rooms (are) a lot like my mom’s bathing suits: I like to see them in one piece. We’ve got that and it’s amazing.
“There’s so many lessons to be learned, many life lessons that our young guys are learning at this age. It’s how the world works,” he added.
After initially fighting an NCAA ruling, Harbaugh relented last week and accepted a suspension for the rest of the regular season due to Michigan’s ongoing sign-stealing scandal and the program’s violation of the Big Ten’s league sportsmanship policy. Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will continue to operate as Michigan’s acting head coach against Ohio State.
