Pete Thamel
Adam Rittenberg
Adam Rittenberg
ESPN Senior Writer College football reporter. Joined ESPN.com in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.Nov 10, 2023, 03:44 PM ETOpen Extended Reactions
The Big Ten on Friday suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season as the league disciplines the program under its sportsmanship policy amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the school’s in-person sign-stealing ring.
Hours later, Harbaugh and the university requested a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County Trial Court. They filed an emergency ex parte motion, which if granted, would give the judge the ability to stop Harbaugh’s suspension before hearing arguments from the defendants — the Big Ten Conference and commissioner Tony Petitti.
The judge could rule on the restraining order before the No. 3 Wolverines’ critical road game against No. 10 Penn State (8-1) on Saturday at noon. Michigan’s plane landed in Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, shortly before the suspension was announced. If Harbaugh’s restraining order is not granted, a source told ESPN that one possible replacement as acting head coach in Happy Valley would be Mike Hart, the team’s running backs coach.
Michigan was found to be in violation of the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy for “conducting an impermissible, in-person