Urban Meyer Thinks Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Suspension Should Translate to NFL

Jim Harbaugh and the University of Michigan were hit with sanctions resulting from the sign-stealing scandal that occurred within the football program in 2023. Harbaugh, who now coaches in the NFL for the Chargers, was given a one-year suspension and a four-year show cause order by the NCAA in 2024.

Of course, that will have limited impact on him now that he's coaching in the pros, but former NFL and college football coach Urban Meyer seems to think that Harbaugh should still face discipline by the NFL.

Meyer explained his thoughts during the latest episode of The Triple Option podcast, citing former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel as an example of such an instance from the past.

"There's an elephant in the room here that no one's talking about. 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. [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," said Meyer.

"Any chance that Roger Goodell and the NFL ... I don't think so," Meyer added, suggesting he doesn't think the league would be willing to hand out a similar suspension to Harbaugh.

While Meyer is correct that Tressel was suspended when he first joined the Colts––his actual role was a game-day advisor––it's not accurate that Goodell was the one to enforce the suspension. It was Tressel himself who suggested the suspension after meeting with the team's front office. Goodell did, however, state he would've taken disciplinary action if Indianapolis had not. Tressel missed the first six games of that season before returning to his duties in Week 7.

Meyer seems to believe a similar translation of discipline for Harbaugh is warranted, though he made clear that he's not expecting any further penalties to arise. Meyer spoke highly of Harbaugh as a coach, but also believes his Michigan legacy will forever carry an asterisk.