Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh plans to attend court hearing،
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said he plans to attend a court hearing Friday where a judge will hear arguments on whether to grant a restraining order that would overturn Michigan’s three-game suspension coach by the Big Ten.
“I’m going to speak on Friday,” Harbaugh said. “I look forward to this opportunity – due process. I’m not looking for special treatment, I’m not looking for a popularity contest, I’m just looking for the merit of the case.”
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh last Friday as punishment against the football program for violating the league’s sportsmanship policy. Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in a letter Friday that he has gathered enough information from the NCAA and other conference participants to prove that a former Michigan staff member compromised the integrity of this year’s matches by monitoring signals from other teams in advance.
Harbaugh and the university filed a lawsuit against the Big Ten and Petitti in state court Friday, hours after the league’s suspension was announced. Michigan asked the court for a temporary restraining order that would overturn the suspension and return Harbaugh to the field. A hearing on the request is scheduled to take place Friday at the Washtenaw County Courthouse in Ann Arbor.
Harbaugh said he’s not sure he’ll get a chance to present his case before the judge, but he plans to be there in person.
“I always thought it would be cool to get up there and thunder at a jury like Tom Cruise in ‘A Few Good Men’ or be a judge. Alas, I didn’t go to law school.” , did he declare. . “This will be the first time I’ve really been in this situation.”
Harbaugh, who is allowed to coach the team throughout the week under the terms of the Big Ten suspension, said he will keep a “one-track mind” to help the team prepare for this weekend’s game -end in Maryland. He said offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will continue to serve as the team’s interim coach if his suspension is upheld.
Moore coached No. 3 Michigan to its first victory against a ranked opponent last weekend with a 24-15 victory over No. 10 Penn State. After the game, Moore broke down in tears during an on-court interview while talking about Harbaugh and how the team responded to his suspension.
Harbaugh said he was “about 5 inches” from the television screen during Moore’s interview.
“It was beautiful,” he said.
The Big Ten announced its decision to suspend Harbaugh while the team was en route to Pennsylvania Friday afternoon. Harbaugh said he learned of the decision when someone showed him a social media post announcing the news.
Harbaugh said Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel “was pretty upset” on the team plane when they learned of the suspension through news reports rather than hearing about it directly from Petitti or from the conference. Manuel expressed some of his anger in a statement released Saturday morning. Harbaugh said the support of Manuel, who was “ten feet off the ground, standing here with us,” and the university’s president, board of trustees and alumni, had been “much appreciated.”
“I feel like a galvanized Michigan,” he said. “It’s a tremendous thing. It’s a monumental thing when you think about it. Everyone is fighting like the team we’re supposed to be. It’s going to be hard to beat.”
The Wolverines will play at Maryland on Saturday before finishing their regular season with a home game against rival and No. 1 seed Ohio State. Friday’s hearing will determine whether Harbaugh will be able to attend either game.
