Big Ten hits Harbaugh with sideline ban for rest of regular season

The Big Ten has banned Jim Harbaugh from coaching on the sideline for Michigan's three remaining regular-season games due to a violation of the conference's sportsmanship policy.

The conference announced the punishment in a statement, ruling Michigan conducted "an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition."

While Harbaugh will be most affected by the penalty, the Big Ten made it clear that it's discipline against the program that'll keep him sidelined, not discipline against the coach himself.

"This is not a sanction of coach Harbaugh," the conference said in the disciplinary letter to the school. "It is a sanction against the university that, under the extraordinary circumstances presented by this offensive conduct, best fits the violation because ... it preserves the ability of the university's football student-athletes to continue competing and ... it recognizes that the head coach embodies the university for purposes of its football program."

Harbaugh will be allowed to coach the Wolverines during the week but won't coach Saturday's contest at Penn State or the remaining two games at Maryland and home to Ohio State. It's a significant loss for the undefeated Wolverines, as the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes represent the two toughest opponents on Michigan's schedule.

The penalty comes in the wake of staffer Connor Stalions' resignation after he was identified as the man behind the scheme. Stalions allegedly purchased tickets for games featuring upcoming Michigan opponents or prospective opponents over a three-year period, sending people to those contests to film the sideline to identify each team's signals.

The latest discipline for Harbaugh means the Wolverines' frontman will miss six of the team's 12 games this season. The school self-imposed a three-game suspension to start the season for the veteran coach due to a previous alleged NCAA violation.

The Big Ten informed Michigan of potential pending discipline earlier in the week, a move that allowed the Wolverines to send a letter on the school's behalf to hopefully sway the conference. The program was unsuccessful in that attempt, with the conference explaining why in the ruling. The Big Ten's decision centered around Michigan not refuting the allegations but instead alleging other members of the conference were guilty as well.

While Harbaugh is banned for the remainder of the regular season, the discipline handed down Friday means he would be eligible to return to the sidelines should Michigan qualify for the Big Ten championship game.

Michigan didn't wait long to respond to the ruling in advance of Saturday's game, filing for a temporary restraining order, reports Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.