Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh won’t be returning to college football anytime soon. Not only is he busy leading the Los Angeles Chargers, he received a four-year show-cause from the NCAA this week.
The NCAA penalized Harbaugh for his “intentional disregard for NCAA legislation and unethical conduct.” This had to do with violations that occurred during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
In addition to receiving a show-cause that runs through August of 2028, Harbaugh got slapped with a one-year suspension.
On ESPN’s “Get Up” this Friday morning, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum offered his take on Harbaugh’s punishment. For the first time in a long time, he refrained from throwing nonstop jabs at the NCAA champion.
“I can’t get mad at Jim even though I know what he did,” Finebaum said . “He was a part of a scandal that he knew about and he acted like he didn’t. But he got away with it. Isn’t that what America’s all about, Greeny?”
This take from Finebaum is awfully different from the one he unleashed earlier this week. The charismatic TV personality said Harbaugh was displaying “sociopathic behavior” on Thursday .
“What’s so absurd is that the NCAA is letting Jim Harbaugh off the hook,” Finebaum said. “I mean, this is a guy who has lied and obfuscated. He’s displaying sociopathic behavior. But instead, everyone loves him. We’re wrapping our arms around Jim saying, ‘Way to go Jim. You made the NCAA look like the fools that they are.’ And that’s really the tragedy in this.”
Clearly, Finebaum gets a kick out of talking about Harbaugh. Unfortunately for him, he won’t get the chance to this fall.
The days of Harbaugh coaching the Wolverines are over. So if Finebaum wants to rant about him, he’ll have to start covering the NFL.
Related: Paul Finebaum Accuses Jim Harbaugh Of Displaying ‘Sociopathic Behavior’