Harbaugh on NCAA ban: Wanting ‘what’s best’ for athletes

El Segundo, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh on Thursday deflected a question about the NCAA’s most recent ban against him, which included a four-year show-cause order and effectively banned him from college athletics until August 2028.

“I’m stopping engagement there with the comments,” Harbaugh said. “But my only hope is that one day it will be about what’s best for young men and young women participating in college athletics. That’s what I really want to say.”

The NCAA said Harbaugh “engaged in unethical conduct, failed to promote an environment of consent and violated the duties of a head coach.” The company also said he denied involvement in the breach even though records “overwhelmingly” support the allegations.

The show-cause order means any school that wants to hire Harbaugh must appear before an NCAA committee to explain why they want to do so. The NCAA’s mandate for Harbaugh began Wednesday and runs through Aug. 6, 2028.

“During the show-cause order, Harbaugh will be prohibited from all athletically related activities, including team travel, practices, video studies, recruiting and team meetings at any NCAA school that has recruited him,” the NCAA said. “Additionally, if hired during a show-cause order, Harbaugh will be suspended for 100 percent of the first season of employment. Harbaugh’s results during that suspension will not count toward his career coaching record.”

The recruiting case is separate from the NCAA’s investigation into the scouting and sign-stealing allegations that marred Michigan’s championship season in 2023 and resulted in Harbaugh’s three-game suspension by the Big Ten. Regarding that investigation, Harbaugh said in a prepared statement that he was “unaware” of any wrongdoing at Michigan and said he did not apologize for anything.