Three things we think: Bill Self, Kansas get slap on the wrist, while Jim Harbaugh, Michigan receive baseball bat to the kneecap

Michigan Wolverines football head coach Jim Harbaugh may face more of a punishment from the NCAA than Kansas basketball despite doing much less, and much more in this week’s column.

RELATED
• Midseason superlatives: Michigan’s MVP, breakout players, top transfer, more
• Film room: Underrated aspects of Michigan offense’s performance against Minnesota (‘terrific’ tight ends)

1. Lessons learned from Kansas NCAA situation

It took six long years, but Kansas’ case with the NCAA in which individuals allegedly provided inducements and extra benefits for players — has officially come to a close. The resolution: Kansas’ self-imposed penalties — a four-game suspension for head coach Bill Self and one of his assistants, along with some minor recruiting restrictions — were sufficient for the NCAA, which loses credibility by the day.

The Kansas case stems back to the FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball in which assistant coaches and Adidas marketing executive Jim Gatto was actually arrested. Former LSU head coach Will Wade, who’s actually back in the sport at McNeese State, was caught on an FBI wiretap discussing a “strong-ass offer” he made to guard JaVonte Smart.

That’s how serious all this was, yet essentially nobody was punished.

Self missed the first four of 36 games in 2022-23. Michigan’s Harbaugh meanwhile, negotiated a four-game suspension for his case, but the NCAA’s Committee On Infractions denied the proposed resolution. U-M self-imposed a three-game suspension for Harbaugh this season, but he may have to pay more of a price that could be handed out during a hearing next offseason.

Kansas and Bill Self get a slap on the wrist, while Michigan football and Jim Harbaugh get a baseball cap to the kneecap.

Harbaugh’s situation isn’t “just” about a cheeseburger, but one of the minor violations he allegedly committed was meeting recruits for a meal during a dead period. The NCAA claims he misled investigators, while he’s reportedly remained steadfast that he didn’t, only saying he didn’t recall some of the alleged minor infractions.

Kansas faced five Level 1 (most severe) violations. Michigan is starting down one charge of the same degree. There’s no way the NCAA should go through with furthering penalties on Harbaugh and U-M, and pretty much everybody agrees on that.

It’s even more clear after the Kansas ‘resolution,’ and you can bet folks at Michigan are talking about the hypocrisy. Though he wouldn’t speak to it on the record, Oklahoma State basketball coach Mike Boynton is frustrated that his team was banned from the 2021-22 postseason due to much minor violations, too, per Sports Illustrated‘s Pat Forde on the College Football Enquirer podcast. Harbaugh and Michigan should be, too.

“Here’s what [president] Charlie Baker and the NCAA should announce: we are dropping the [Michigan and] Jim Harbaugh case right now, and we are dropping any other case that’s in the middle,” Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel said on the same podcast. “One of the reasons we are absolutely destroyed by Congress, by the public, why these politicians look at us with no credibility is because we can’t enforce our own rules. Our own rules are so selectively enforced, so ridiculously enforced, so haphazardly, that if you’re a politician from Oklahoma, you would say, ‘Hey, what the hell, man? Our school got thrown out of the NCAA basketball tournament for allegations of misdemeanors for less of a case, and all these other schools got nothing, extensively, for much more serious cases.’

“That’s why they have no credibility. No fan base in the country trusts the NCAA to do anything. The people who coach don’t trust them, no athletic director trusts them. Everybody looks the same way because they can’t do this.

“… To continue to go after — and there are other cases, for sure, I’m just thinking of the [Michigan and] Harbaugh one because it’s the most prominent one this season — but you are continually going to the absolute wall to bust Jim Harbaugh for meeting with two recruits and watching some guys work out on a Zoom, to the point where a four-game, agreed-upon suspension was not enough. Then, when they give him three, that’s not enough. We’re gonna crush this guy, we’re gonna keep going after this guy, at the exact same time that you can’t get the other guys.”

2. How much should Jim Harbaugh make?

As first reported by TheWolverine.com last week, Michigan will work to make Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten, and he wants to make it happen, too. He reiterated as much in his Monday press conference, and all sides seem to be aligned that this should get done quickly, even though the NCAA case was reportedly the previous hold-up (which made no sense).

Now, the question is, what should the contract look like?

At just over $8 million, Harbaugh is currently the 12th-highest paid coach in the country and third-highest in the Big Ten, now that Michigan State’s Mel Tucker has been fired. That’s obviously way too low, and it’s why that should be rectified in the coming weeks.

Fair or not, given that Harbaugh, who interviewed with NFL organizations each of the last two offseasons, is a flight risk, he has quite a bit of leverage. He’s one of the top coaches in the game, if not the best, and Michigan should do everything in its power to keep him — it’s a no-brainer.

Putting him right up with Alabama’s Nick Saban ($11,407,000 salary in 2023), Clemson’s Dabo Swinney ($10,884,775) and Georgia’s Kirby Smart ($10,705,600) would be the wise move. There’s no reason not to, frankly.

3. What about a buyout?

On the topic of a buyout, it’s tricky. Those are more about optics than anything else, honestly. If Harbaugh wanted to jump ship to the NFL at some point in the coming years, we don’t believe a buyout would hinder that organization or the Michigan coach from doing so. But if both sides agree that it could help recruiting, etc., then it makes sense. It would be ironic, however, that the same Michigan administration that, just two over two years ago, would want to crank up the buyout despite signing Harbaugh to a deal that lowered the buyout each year.

Those are just a few things to consider.

***
Modernize and Improve Your Business with Genesis Credit Card Processing. Our cutting-edge system seamlessly integrates with QuickBooks and most POS systems.  This integration will save you time, money and effort. 
Genesis is one of the few national processors who still offer different forms of cash discounting where your business can offer a cash price and a Credit Card price so that you never pay credit card fees again.  Ask me how you can say goodbye to CC fees forever!
Don’t wait another moment – seize this opportunity and revolutionize the way you process credit cards. Join Genesis Sourcing Solutions today and take your business to the next level!
Genesis Credit Card Processing
John West
Phone: 847-691-6388
Email: john@gensourcing.com
The Fort handle: @WolvyWest

The post Three things we think: Bill Self, Kansas get slap on the wrist, while Jim Harbaugh, Michigan receive baseball bat to the kneecap appeared first on On3.