Big Ten Suspends Michigan Football Head Coach Jim Harbaugh

ANN ARBOR, MI — Michigan Wolverines football Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the rest of the season Friday by the Big Ten Conference as part of the ongoing the sign-stealing investigation, according to the conference.

"As a penalty imposed on the institution, the University football team must compete without its Head Football Coach for the games remaining in the 2023 regular-season, effective immediately," Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. "This disciplinary action shall not preclude the University or its football team from having its Head Football Coach attend practices or other football team activities other than the game activities to which it applies. For clarity, the Head Football Coach shall not be present at the game venue on the dates of the games to which this disciplinary action applies."

The University of Michigan will challenge the suspension by taking legal action, the university said in a statement.

"Commissioner Petitti's hasty action today suggests that this is more about reacting to pressure from other Conference members than a desire to apply the rules fairly and impartially," University of Michigan President Santa Ono said.

Moreover, Ono said the conference chose Friday to prevent the university from filing any immediate legal action because Veteran's Day is Saturday, which is a court holiday.

The Wolverines asked Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to wait until the investigation plays out before handing down any punishment.

"The reputation and livelihoods of coaches, students, and programs cannot be sacrificed in a rush to judgment, no matter how many and how loudly people protest otherwise," Ono added. "Due process matters."

The suspension comes as investigators are looking into the football program after a former staffer was accused of breaking the NCAA’s advanced scouting rules.

Investigators said Connor Stalions, who resigned from the program last week, bought tickets to games involving Michigan’s future opponents and sending people to those games to film the sidelines.

The news comes less than 24 hours before the No. 3 ranked Wolverines head to Happy Valley to play the No. 10 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated