U-M gets probation, fine for recruiting violations
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Heather Dinich
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Heather Dinich
ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter
- Joined ESPN.com in 2007
- Graduate of Indiana University
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Adam Rittenberg
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Adam Rittenberg
ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.
Michigan will serve three years of NCAA probation, pay a fine and face recruiting restrictions after the university and five current or former football employees reached an agreement with the NCAA’s enforcement staff on recruiting violations and coaching activities by noncoaching staff members, the NCAA announced Tuesday.
The agreed-upon penalties also include a one-year show-cause order for the participating individuals.
The portion of the case that involves former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who was hired by the Los Angeles Chargers in late January, will be considered separately by the Committee on Infractions, and then it will determine its full decision, according to a release from the NCAA.
Tom Mars, Harbaugh’s attorney, told ESPN that neither he nor Harbaugh knew about the agreement to the case until seeing media reports Tuesday. Although Mars doesn’t know whether Harbaugh would have participated, they were unaware about the discussions to resolve the case.
Michigan agreed to violations involving impermissible in-person recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period, impermissible tryouts, and the program exceeding the number of allowed countable coaches when noncoaching staff members engaged in on- and off-field coaching activities (including providing technical and tactical skills instruction to players).
“Today’s joint resolution pertains to the University of Michigan Athletic Department and several former and current employees,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a prepared statement. “We are pleased to reach a resolution on this matter so that our student-athletes and our football program can move forward. We have no additional information and cannot comment further on other aspects of the NCAA’s inquiries.”
Michigan and its staff members who were involved are allowed to “immediately begin serving their penalties while awaiting the committee’s final decision on the remaining contested portion of the case.”
“Per NCAA protocol, we are not identifying individuals,” Michigan associate athletic director Kurt Svoboda told ESPN. “I can note that no further game restrictions will be served by anyone who is still on the U-M staff.”
First-year Michigan coach Sherrone Moore was suspended for the season opener last season when he was the offensive coordinator as part of the school’s self-imposed penalties for violating NCAA rules. Harbaugh also served a three-game suspension to start the 2023 season because of NCAA recruiting infractions.
Michigan agreed the underlying violations demonstrated “a head coach responsibility violation and the former football head coach failed to meet his responsibility to cooperate with the investigation,” according to the NCAA. The university also agreed it failed to deter and detect the impermissible recruiting contacts and didn’t “ensure that the football program adheres to rules for noncoaching staff members.”
The committee’s final decision — including potential violations and penalties for Harbaugh — is pending.
Michigan is also under a separate NCAA investigation for an elaborate off-campus sign stealing system led by former staffer Connor Stalions. The NCAA’s enforcement staff notified Michigan officials and the Big Ten about the allegations on Oct. 18, 2023. The agreement between the NCAA and Michigan that was announced on Tuesday was unrelated.
Virginia Tech has fired coach Brent Pry, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Sunday. Pry is set to be owed more than $6 million in his buyout.
The move comes a day after a 45-26 home loss to Old Dominion in which the Hokies were booed loudly while heading to the locker room for halftime.
Saturday’s loss dropped Virginia Tech to 0-3 on the season and 16-24 through four seasons under Pry.
The hot-seat talk bubbled up around Pry in November last season, and if the Hokies had lost to Virginia to end the season, a change may have been made at that point. But Virginia Tech defeated Virginia, and Pry’s second consecutive 6-6 regular season landed him in a bowl game.
But as the offseason included personnel changes, the talk around Pry’s status didn’t fade. He entered Year 4 with a new defensive coordinator — Sam Siefkes, a former linebackers coach with the Arizona Cardinals — and a staff that included former longtime Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster as an adviser/analyst.
It did not work in the early going. Though the Hokies played hard in a season-opening loss to South Carolina, they were pushed around by another SEC team, Vanderbilt, in Virginia Tech’s home opener a week later. The Commodores scored 34 consecutive points to close out a 44-20 win in which they trailed by 10 points at halftime.
That loss, however, proved to be just an opening act to Saturday’s stunning loss to in-state foe Old Dominion.
“Clearly, it starts with me,” Pry said after the loss to the Monarchs. “Coaches, players, everybody is accountable here. We’ve got to get back to the basics and find a way to be closer to the team we can be.”
Virginia Tech will host Wofford on Saturday before beginning ACC play the following week at NC State.
NEW YORK — The Texas Rangers got a key player back for their playoff push Sunday, when outfielder Adolis García was activated from the 10-day injured list.
García, who missed 10 games with a strained right quad, was set to bat fourth and play right field in the series finale against the New York Mets.
The IL stint was the second in a month for García, who was sidelined by a sprained left ankle from Aug. 13-22. The former All-Star and Gold Glove winner is batting .235 with 18 homers and 73 RBIs this season, but he hit .368 with two homers, nine RBIs and three steals in as many attempts in nine games following his return from the ankle injury before getting hurt while beating out a potential double-play grounder against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 1.
“It’s always good to get one of your core guys back,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He was really swinging the bat well when he got hurt.”
Despite dealing with a litany of injuries, the Rangers entered Sunday on a six-game winning streak and with the best record in the majors (16-4) since Aug. 23. Texas was two games behind the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in the AL West race.
Second baseman Marcus Semien (left foot) and pitcher Nathan Eovaldi (right rotator cuff) are likely out for the regular season while shortstop Corey Seager is recovering from an appendectomy.
To make room for García, the Rangers optioned outfielder Dustin Harris to Triple-A Round Rock.
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