Urban Meyer says Jim Harbaugh should face NFL discipline for role in Michigan's sign-stealing scandal
'There's an elephant in the room here that no one's talking about,' Meyer said on Wednesday's episode of 'The Triple Option Podcast,' which he hosts with Fox Sports' Mark Ingram and Rob Stone. 'When (Jim) Tressel was fired by Ohio State and he was given a suspension, Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, came out and said that we're going to honor that suspension.
Advertisement
'And you remember (Tressel) went to the Indianapolis Colts to work in the replay room. The Colts, because of the respect they had for the NCAA and the suspension, suspended Jim Tressel, so he was unable to perform his duties for the first six games of the year for the Indianapolis Colts.
'I think we all know the answer. Any chance that Roger Goodell and the NFL (would suspend Harbaugh)? Of course not.'
Meyer's comments come after the NCAA disciplined Michigan last week following its investigation into an elaborate sign-stealing scheme concocted by former staffer Connor Stalions.
Stalions devised a scheme to circumvent the NCAA's rule prohibiting in-person scouting of future opponents by recruiting collaborators and then securing tickets on the secondary market, which allowed them to attend games involving Michigan's upcoming opponents and film other teams' signals from the stands.
Stalions collected footage from 52 games involving 13 opponents during the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions (COI) found.
The NCAA fined Michigan tens of millions of dollars and handed Harbaugh a show-cause order that effectively bans him from coaching in college football until 2038. The NCAA also suspended current Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who was an assistant under Harbaugh, for the opening game of the 2026 season, adding to a school-imposed two-game suspension for Week 3 and Week 4 of the upcoming season.
Stalions received an eight-year show-cause order.
Despite the unprecedented fines that could surpass $30 million, the NCAA spared the Wolverines from a postseason ban as punishment for the sign-stealing scheme.
In the 2023 season, Michigan went 15-0 and won the national championship under Harbaugh, who subsequently left the program that offseason to return to the NFL with the Chargers, following the news of the sign-stealing scandal.
Advertisement
Harbaugh has said he didn't know about Stalions' operation and refused to comment on the situation last week after the NCAA released its decision. But the NCAA's COI wrote in its report that 'Harbaugh ran a program that was largely dismissive of rules compliance,' and 'there was little, if any, emphasis on following the rules.'
On his podcast, Meyer referenced Tressel heading to the NFL after Tressel was forced to resign from Ohio State following an NCAA investigation into improper benefits received by some of his players, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor. The players traded their equipment, memorabilia and autographs for tattoos and cash, and Tressel withheld information about it from Ohio State and NCAA investigators.
Following the investigation, the Buckeyes received a one-year bowl ban, among other penalties, and Tressel received a five-year show-cause order.
However, Meyer was slightly off in his recount of Tressel's suspension with the Colts. The team hired Tressel as a replay consultant and said he wouldn't start his gig until the seventh game of the season. Goodell said he was OK with the Colts' decision, and he would have suspended Tressel for the first six games if Indianapolis didn't make him sit them out.
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How MLB's upcoming deals will change how you watch out-of-market, Sunday night and Wild Card games
When ESPN opted out of its contract with Major League Baseball in February, the network was hoping to get a reworked package at a lower cost while Commissioner Rob Manfred thought the sport could optimize its rights in the short term for Home Run Derby and Wild Card round. In the end, both parties may get what they want. According to people familiar with negotiations, ESPN is nearing a deal to distribute out-of-market games while NBC/Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV are in talks for regular-season packages, the Wild Card round and Home Run Derby. All sides hope to have everything finalized by the end of the regular season next month, three people told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contracts have not been finalized or announced by either side. The negotiations around the three-year deals is complicated due to the fact that MLB is also trying not to slight two of its other rights holders. MLB receives an average of $729 million from Fox and $470 million from Turner Sports per year under deals which expire after the 2028 season. While ESPN would be losing the playoffs and Home Run Derby, it would be gaining something it considers more valuable — the streaming package of out-of-market games as part of the direct-to-consumer service that launched on Thursday. ESPN would also sell the in-market rights to the five teams whose games are produced by MLB — San Diego, Colorado, Arizona, Cleveland and Minnesota. 'We are engaged. We are having healthy conversations with them. Nothing to announce today, but we're very interested in baseball in general,' ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said on Tuesday during a presentation about the network's DTC service. ESPN, which has carried MLB games since 1990, opted out of the final three years of a seven-year deal in February. The package averaged $550 million per season and also included the Home Run Derby and Wild Card games. Baseball would be the second league that would have its out-of-market digital package available in the U.S. on ESPN's platform. The NHL moved its package to ESPN in 2021. It would also be a win-win situation for MLB and ESPN. Manfred wrote in a memo to owners after ESPN opted out of its contract: 'While ESPN has stated they would like to continue to have MLB on their platform, particularly in light of the upcoming launch of their DTC product, we do not think its beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform. In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.' The moves keep ESPN involved in baseball, but at a point where it can benefit while MLB could benefit from other partners in a short-term deal. There is a possibility that ESPN would still air 30 regular-season games, but not Sunday nights. That package of games would go to NBC/Peacock, along with the Wild Card round. NBC, which celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, has a long history with baseball, albeit not much recently. The network carried games from 1939 through 1989. It was part of the short-lived Baseball Network with ABC in 1994 and '95 and then aired playoff games from 1996 through 2000. Peacock had a Sunday streaming package of early-afternoon games in 2022 and '23. The addition of baseball games would give NBC a year-around night of sports on Sunday nights. It has had NFL games on Sunday night since 2006 and will debut an NBA Sunday night slate in February. NBC would likely do Sunday Night Baseball from May through Labor Day weekend. Fox's Saturday nights have been mainly sports the past couple years with a mix of baseball, college football, college basketball and motorsports. Netflix is in discussions for the Home Run Derby, which would align with its strategy of going for a big event in a major sport. The streamer will have an NFL Christmas Day doubleheader this season for the second straight year. Apple TV, which has had 'Friday Night Baseball' since 2022, remains involved in negotiations. The deals would also accomplish another of Manfred's goals. He has said for three years that he would like to see MLB take a more national approach to its rights instead of a large percentage of its games being on regional sports networks. 'We're blessed with a huge amount of content: 2,430 games. Because of the amount of content, I think there will be some local component but I think the strategy needs to be more national and our reach needs to be more national,' he said during a panel discussion last September at the CNBC x Boardroom's Game Plan event. ___ AP MLB: Joe Reedy, The Associated Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025 PFL 10 video: Lazaro Dayron TKOs Bryce Meredith to end thrilling battle
Lazaro Dayron concluded a thrilling fight against Bryce Meredith at 2025 PFL World Tournament 10 with an impressive finish. Dayron (9-0-1) built his status as a dangerous bantamweight to watch when he ended Meredith's (7-1) unbeaten run in MMA by third-round finish on Tuesday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. There were several back-and-forth exchanges highlighted by dramatic moments in the opening round and beyond. Each side was fatigued from the battle, but Dayron had more in the tank and landed one final big punch that floored his opponent and led to the TKO at the 4:06 mark of Round 3. Check out the replay below (via X): This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: 2025 PFL 10 video: Lazaro Dayron TKOs Bryce Meredith to end thriller
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jerry Jones' latest comments about Micah Parsons negotiations put sides further at odds
Jerry Jones is dug in on the Micah Parsons negotiations. And two weeks before the Dallas Cowboys open the season, he didn't exactly extend an olive branch. Jones took a part of the negotiations public when he was on Michael Irvin's podcast. Jones met with Parsons privately months ago and thought he had an agreement with the star defensive end on a new deal. But Parsons' agent David Mulugheta, one of the most powerful agents in sports, wasn't involved in those negotiations. He let Jones know that he didn't care about the deal Parsons had talked about with the Cowboys owner, and according to Jones he didn't sound too pleased. "When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our ass," Jones told Irvin, with an amused look on his face. Well then. Jones calling out the agent publicly in that manner isn't going to help a standoff that has shown few signs of thawing. And time is running out before the season starts. Micah Parsons' situation still unresolved The price for Parsons won't be cheap. T.J. Watt signed an extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth $41 million per season and presumably Parsons will want at least that. The acrimony seems a bit personal though, and not between the player and team. And it doesn't seem to be entirely about money; Jones said on Irvin's podcast that he offered Parsons more guaranteed money than any other non-quarterback in NFL history. Jones doesn't seem happy with Mulugheta, though an agent negotiating a player contract is obviously standard in the NFL and all sports. "Where is the least important part of this whole equation we're talking about. What is the least incremental part of the whole equation? The attorney or the agent," Jones said. "He works for Micah. He's not the principal here, in any way. In any way. They're in here to make their percentage." It's a bit of a strange stance for Jones to take, and risk not having his best defensive player for the season opener and perhaps beyond over it. Agents negotiate deals. It's their job. Jones has said that he bought the Cowboys on a handshake deal and seems to believe that Parsons should honor his, though it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison. If Jones is unwilling to work with the agent, and the agent is not going to go along with a supposed handshake deal made between Parsons and Jones, then where do the two sides go from here? When will Parsons play this season? There have been other veiled threats through the process by Jones, which indicate that the whole ordeal could get even messier. He has brought up Emmitt Smith being unsigned in 1993 two games into the season before a contract was signed. That indicates Jones is willing to hold his ground even if it means that Parsons misses games. The 1993 Cowboys could afford to start in an 0-2 hole. They were one of the most talented teams ever and went on to win a Super Bowl. The 2025 Cowboys aren't on that level, especially if Parsons misses any games. Jones has also suggested that he would use the franchise tag, maybe even two, on Parsons as he did with quarterback Dak Prescott. While that would mean two very nice one-year contracts for Parsons, he wants a long-term deal. But the franchise tag gives the Cowboys leverage. Jones could drag things out a couple more years if he is willing. Jones also has said repeatedly that Parsons is under contract with the Cowboys. He has been holding in as the negotiations have stalled. Negotiations can often speed up quickly when there's a deadline, and the Sept. 4 opener is a big date on the calendar. Parsons could theoretically sign shortly before that game and still play, though with every day that passes it gets more difficult. Even for a great player like Parsons, it's hard to play in a regular-season game after missing all of training camp and the preseason. But Jones seems willing to sacrifice Parsons missing some games to make his point. And it's not like Jones' comments to Irvin get the sides closer to the finish line.
