Michigan Football Coach Jim Harbaugh Claims the Wolverines are ‘America’s Team’ Days After He Was Suspended Following Sign-Stealing Investigation

In response to being suspended for the rest of the regular season as a result of an investigation into sign-stealing, University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh boldly labeled the Wolverines “America’s team.”

The NCAA revealed a few weeks ago that the football team was being investigated due to allegations of stealing the play signs of its opponents. While the act of sign-stealing technically isn’t against the rules, scouting future opponents off-campus is prohibited by the NCAA.

Not long after the announcement of the investigation, more information was reported revealing an expansive network where multiple people traveled the country to scout the Wolverines’ future and potential opponents. University staffer Connor Stalions — painted as the ringleader of the operation — was suspended during the investigation before ultimately resigning.

There was no evidence that Harbaugh had any knowledge of the operation; however, the coach was suspended for the final few games of the regular season.

Now, the Wolverines appear to be touting an “us vs. them” philosophy as a result of getting caught red-handed. In the team’s first game of Harbaugh’s suspension, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore was brought to tears when it beat Penn State.

“Coach Harbaugh… I love the sh*t out of you man. I did this for you!”

Sherrone Moore breaks into tears while speaking with @JennyTaft after the @UMichFootball‘s win vs Penn State pic.twitter.com/JJYPKyA2sM

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 11, 2023

Speaking to the media on Monday, Harbaugh commended his players for their “perseverance.”

“It’s gotta be America’s team,” Harbaugh said. “America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, overcomes what the naysayers and the critics and the so-called experts think. That’s my favorite kind of team. Watching it from that view on the television, it was, ‘Finally, people get to see what I see every day with these players and coaches.'”

The investigation has been the subject of great debate over the last few weeks. Some believe the team should be banned from competing in College Football Playoff, while others believe it’d be unfair to punish the students for something they had no knowledge of.

As it currently stands, neither Harbaugh nor the players knew what was going on. With that in mind, it makes sense that they would play with an added chip on their shoulders amid the waves of criticism.

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