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According to two university sources who spoke to ESPN, Michigan has received a notice of accusations from the NCAA involving suspected breaches committed by the football staff during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
Michigan also faces four Level II infractions, which are seen as less serious, while Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh faces a Level I violation for allegedly failing to cooperate with or misleading NCAA investigators about the alleged violations, according to sources. As part of a negotiated settlement for his involvement, Michigan in August self-imposed a one-game ban for offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and a three-game suspension for head coach Jim Harbaugh to start the season.
The self-imposed fines, which were implemented to lessen the severity of the NCAA sanction, were taken soon after the NCAA’s infractions committee rejected a negotiated settlement with Harbaugh that called for a suspension of four games. In August, the NCAA also made the extraordinary move of releasing a statement regarding the seriousness of the alleged breaches involving Michigan while an investigation was still underway.
According to Derrick Crawford, the vice president of hearing operations at the NCAA, “the Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities — not a cheeseburger,” referring to the oversimplified description of the infractions in some media reports.
The [committee on infractions] frequently requests clarification on important details before approving. If the COI concludes that the agreement is not in the Association’s best interests or that the sanctions are not acceptable, it may also reject an NR [negotiated resolution]. The committee thinks that working together is the best way to swiftly resolve problems, but if the parties involved are unable to resolve a case through the negotiated resolution procedure, it may move to a hearing.
A draft of the notice of accusations was sent to Michigan in January. It detailed the Level I offense involving Harbaugh as well as the Level II offenses, which included the alleged involvement of an off-field analyst in on-field coaching operations. Back then, sources told ESPN that Harbaugh might miss as many as six games due to suspension.
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