Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh denies accusations against Michigan staff in NCAA notice of allegations

‘I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations.’

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh can’t escape questions about the advanced scouting and sign-stealing scandal lingering over the Michigan football program since last season.

Michigan is awaiting an official notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding its knowledge of staffer Connor Stalions’ scheme. A draft of the notice was obtained by ESPN and the document named Harbaugh in addition to current Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore, former linebackers coach Chris Partridge, and staffers Stalions and Denard Robinson.

Asked about the report during a news conference Monday, Harbaugh maintained that he knew nothing of Stalions’ activities and did not commit any of the allegations raised in the draft.

“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson,” Harbaugh told reporters, including ESPN’s Kris Rihm. “I have raised my family on that lesson. I have preached that lesson to the teams that I’ve coached.

“No one’s perfect. If you stumble, you apologize and you make it right,” he added. “Today, I do not apologize. I did not participate, was not aware nor complicit in those said allegations. So for me, it’s back to work and attacking with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”

Throughout last season, his ninth in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh maintained that he knew nothing of the advanced scouting and sign stealing that Stalions is alleged to have orchestrated. Michigan finished 15–0 and won the College Football Playoff national championship.

Harbaugh, Partridge, Robinson and Stalions were accused of committing Level 1 violations, considered the most serious by the NCAA, demonstrating a “pattern of noncompliance within the football program.”

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, both former assistants on Harbaugh’s Michigan staff, were also alleged to have committed recruiting violations in the draft, according to ESPN.

Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for the final three games of Michigan’s regular season for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy in regards to the allegations against the program. (The school also self-imposed a three-game suspension on Harbaugh to begin the season for alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The draft says Harbaugh could face a “show-cause” penalty that could restrict his employment if he returned to college athletics.

No evidence of Harbaugh’s knowledge or participation of Stalions’ activities is provided in the document.