For Michigan fans, the pride of the championship remains. For rivals and neutral observers, the achievement carries an invisible asterisk. It is this asterisk, not the $20 million fine, that defines the punishment. Michigan will always be remembered as a champion, but in the same breath, it will be remembered as a program that cheated.

Jim Harbaugh won’t be returning to college football anytime soon after the NCAA came down with a punishment for the University of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal. He’s barred from coaching at the college level for 14 years, not that he has any plans of leaving the Los Angeles Chargers in the near future.

"The NCAA found no evidence that Jim Harbaugh or Michigan coaches directed or had knowledge of low-level staffer's Connor Stalions' alleged off-campus scouting operation," Safie wrote on X. "Jim Harbaugh made a statement in October 2023 that he had no knowledge, and that's supported."

While Connor Stalions and his sign-stealing operation at Michigan took center stage Friday, there was a behind-the-scenes feud bubbling over between Jim Harbaugh and the school’s compliance department in 2023.