Pete Thamel hints at further punishment for Michigan following Chris Partridge firing

The latest twist in the sign-stealing situation at Michigan came Friday when the university announced the firing of linebackers coach Chris Partridge. That decision came after the Wolverines accepted the Big Ten’s three-game suspension of Jim Harbaugh and canceling a Friday morning hearing to try and get a temporary restraining order.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, though, there might still be further punishment coming against Michigan.

After Harbaugh accepted his suspension, the Big Ten said its investigation into the sign-stealing allegations — centered on former analyst Connor Stalions — would end. However, the NCAA’s inquiry is still going on, and the conference said it wouldn’t rule out further punishment if that investigation warrants it. That’s why Thamel said there might be more to come even after Partridge’s firing.

“For the NCAA, it’s just the beginning,” Thamel said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Probably 1/10th of the way through the timeline of their investigation. And the key phrase for Jim Harbaugh going forward is going to be head coach responsibility. Now, he already has head coach responsibility from the unethical conduct charge in the NCAA COVID dead period recruiting investigation.

“So now that charge, because that process hasn’t flowed out yet, there will be an additional — likely if the evidence goes where we think it will — an additional charge that could lead to a bigger suspension if he’s still Michigan’s coach next year. So, the future of Jim Harbaugh is really a fascinating subplot to this because they are in the thicket of multiple significant NCAA investigations.”

Chris Partridge was in the midst of his second stint with Michigan this year after three years at Ole Miss in between stops in Ann Arbor. His firing is reportedly related to the ongoing NCAA investigation into impermissible scouting. Partridge “is not alleged at this time of knowing about the advanced scouting by Stalions, but acted after the fact to cover up evidence” according to a report from Yahoo! Sports.

To date, the only staffer for Michigan football who was known to be involved is Stalions.

Multiple reports after the firing indicated that decision to stand down from suing the Big Ten and subsequently firing Partridge are a reflection of a new tone from Michigan in regard to the NCAA investigation. NCAA investigators reportedly shared more evidence with Michigan earlier this week.

Partridge joined the Michigan staff in 2015 as director of player personnel, part of the first staff that head coach Jim Harbaugh assembled. He eventually moved into a role as special teams coach and also coached a handful of position groups.

Andrew Graham contributed to this report.

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