Michigan receives NCAA notice of allegations for recruiting violations - ESPN

Michigan has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding alleged violations by the football staff during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period, two university officials told ESPN.

According to sources, Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh faces a Level I violation for allegedly not cooperating with or misleading NCAA investigators about the alleged violations, and Michigan also faces four Level II violations, which are considered less serious. Michigan in August self-imposed a three-game suspension for Harbaugh to begin the season as well as a one-game suspension for offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore as part of a negotiated resolution for his involvement.

The self-imposed penalties, enacted to soften the impact of NCAA punishment, came shortly after the NCAA's infractions committee did not approve a negotiated resolution involving Harbaugh that would have resulted in a four-game suspension. The NCAA also in August took the unusual step of issuing a statement during an ongoing investigation about the severity of the alleged violations involving Michigan.

«The Michigan infractions case is related to impermissible on and off-campus recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period and impermissible coaching activities — not a cheeseburger,» Derrick Crawford, NCAA vice president of hearing operations, said in the statement, referring to the simplistic characterization of the violations in some media reports. «It is not uncommon for the [committee on infractions] to seek clarification on key facts prior to accepting. The COI may also reject an NR [negotiated resolution] if it determines that the agreement is not in the best interests of the Association or the penalties are not reasonable. If the involved parties cannot