Michigan courthouse disputes idea of agreement between UM, Big Ten on litigation
Michigan has accepted the original 3-game suspension for head coach Jim Harbaugh that was handed down by B1G commissioner Tony Petitti. The Wolverines confirmed that move on Thursday, but how the parties arrived at that decision has been disputed.
According to Michigan’s announcement of the decision, the Wolverines referenced the parties involved “resolved” the pending litigation and said the B1G “agreed to close its investigation” with Harbaugh accepting his penalty. However, the Big Ten’s statement comes across quite differently.
According to the B1G, Michigan made the decision to “withdraw its legal challenge” against the conference. The B1G also referenced a duty to “protect the integrity of competition.”
As for what really occurred, Catherine Briley reports that the Washtenaw County Courthouse indicated Michigan voluntarily dismissed the complaint against the B1G. That paints a different picture than the way the Wolverines worded their original statement on the matter.
Per the Washtenaw County courthouse, the University of Michigan and Harbaugh voluntarily dismissed their complaint against the Big Ten.
— Catherine Briley (@ByCatherineB) November 16, 2023
At the end of the day, the end result is still the same. Harbaugh will finish his suspension against Maryland and Ohio State, and it will be up to the Wolverines to try and reach the postseason undefeated in order to get Harbaugh back on the sidelines.