Why Big Ten suspended Michigan's Jim Harbaugh and what's next - ESPN

The Big Ten suspended Michigan's Jim Harbaugh from coaching in his football team's final three regular-season games, starting with Saturday's showdown at No. 10 Penn State.

Friday's announcement from Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti came 23 days after the NCAA first notified conference and Michigan officials that it had received credible information that the No. 3 Wolverines had been involved in a sign-stealing scheme, in which analyst Connor Stalions and others scouted future opponents off campus, which has been prohibited by NCAA rules since 1994.

Petitti's decision was both stunning and swift. Will it hold up? Michigan president Santa Ono said in a statement Friday that the university is seeking a court order to overturn Harbaugh's suspension.

Here's what we know about the Michigan investigation so far.

In a 13-page letter sent to Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel on Friday, Petitti wrote that the Big Ten believed Michigan «violated the Sportsmanship Policy because a University football staff member engaged in an organized, extensive, years-long in-person advance scouting scheme that was impermissible.»

«The goal of the scheme was to gain an unfair advantage by stealing the signs of teams that the University's football team was due to play later in the season,» Petitti said. «Such misconduct inherently compromises the integrity of competition.»

Petitti wrote that even though the league made other Big Ten programs aware of the allegations, «the effect on the opponents of the University's football team remains ongoing.»

«The integrity of the competition is the backbone of any sports conference or league,» Petitti said. «That is especially true for sports contests between student-athletes. Athletes compete to