Michigan’s National Championship Win Upheld by NCAA President
Michigan’s football team won the national championship this week, and NCAA president Charlie Baker had nothing but praise for the team. During a small gathering of reporters at the NCAA convention, Baker stated that the Wolverines were clearly “the better team” and won their title “fair and square”.
This statement comes in for reflection on his unprecedented decision to include the Big Ten and the University of Michigan in an ongoing NCAA investigation. This investigation led to Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti suspending Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season.
Baker defended his actions, stating that he made the decision based on comprehensive information that had to be addressed. He emphasized that the decision to bring the investigation to the public domain was the right one.
He stressed the importance of preserving the fairness of the competition, avoiding any potential impact on games in the 2023 season. Baker said he believed that Michigan and the Big Ten deserved to know about the investigation to make any necessary adjustments.
The NCAA investigation began when a third party provided comprehensive information about an illegal on-campus scouting and sign-stealing operation by Michigan. The NCAA has not yet delivered a Notice of Allegations in the sign-stealing case.
Michigan is also facing an investigation into recruiting violations allegedly committed by the program during the COVID-19 dead period, for which the school self-imposed a three-game suspension for Harbaugh to begin the season.
As the NCAA investigation continues, Harbaugh reiterated his innocence in a postgame news conference after the national championship win. His assertion of innocence comes after a staffer at the center of the investigation, football analyst Connor Stalions, was suspended and later resigned from his position. Michigan will remain focused on defending their national championship title and proving that it was not tainted.
In conclusion, Baker said he hopes the investigation will move more quickly now that the season is over. He also noted that he did not know how Harbaugh’s potential NFL future could impact the investigation and declined to say if the NCAA would share information with the NFL if it were interested in imposing a punishment on Harbaugh.