Months or years from now, when the dust finally settles on the Michigan football sign-stealing case, nobody really knows what the resolution will look like.
Maybe more evidence will come out against Michigan or Jim Harbaugh and the punishment will be severe. Maybe investigation finds this wasn’t much of a big deal. Maybe Connor Stalions ends up with a statue in Columbus for giving Ohio State its first win over Michigan in nearly 1,500 days.
But no matter how it plays out, the way this case was handled by the Big Ten could do irreparable damage to the league’s relationship with Michigan.
This isn’t a conversation about Michigan’s innocence or guilt. Or the severity of the allegations. It’s about the embarrassing incompetence of the Big Ten Conference, in particular new commissioner Tony Petitti.
From the moment the allegations against Michigan came out, Petitti has been a poster child for bad decision making. It began when he allowed a group of Big Ten coaches with a clear agenda to pressure him into assuming Michigan’s guilt. And it continued with a Friday afternoon Harbaugh suspension that was announced as the team was literally on its flight to Penn State -- a transparent and cowardly attempt to act late enough in the week that Michigan couldn’t respond before kickoff.
Coaches at opposing Big Ten schools who will directly benefit from the downfall of Michigan and Harbaugh were allowed to bully the authority figure into unprecedented action. It’s one of the most blatant lapses of leadership we’ve ever seen in college sports -- and that’s no short list.
The way information about the sign-stealing operation was leaked made it abundantly clear what was going on. Someone doesn’t like that Michigan is winning football games, so they went out and dug up some dirt to try to derail what was looking like another championship-caliber season.
Those antics alone should have made the Big Ten think twice about what motives are at play. And at the very least, Petitti should have waited for an ounce of evidence against Harbaugh to take such drastic action. Instead, he has thrown common sense to the wind so he can appease a group of coaches who, frankly, have plenty to gain from Michigan’s demise.
Can you imagine if allegations of this nature were leaked about Alabama? Or Georgia? The SEC would circle the wagons so fast it would make your head spin. Greg Sankey would make it crystal clear that conference members are not to target each other.
He would protect his biggest brands, not allow them to be dragged through the mud for weeks with no response.
Michigan, at the absolute minimum, should have been able to count on the Big Ten’s support through the end of the investigation. Instead, somehow, the conference became Michigan’s greatest adversary.
The national media used the Wolverines as a punching bag while they were unable to respond. Talking heads went so far as to suggest Michigan should be banned from the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, Petitti waffled and did nothing but fuel the scorn. He waited for the Wolverines to board their plane and take off before leaking to ESPN that Harbaugh would be suspended for the rest of the regular season.
As a result, Michigan has had to go on the offensive, slinging mud at Ohio State, Rutgers, and Purdue for their own sign-stealing methods. Now that the Big Ten has doubled down with a punishment, who knows what kind of accusations are about to start flying.
The Big Ten’s two top brands are going to be locked in a war off the field. The league had a chance to stop this firestorm before it got out of hand, but now the damage has been done.
USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon have to be wondering, “What did we get ourselves into?” All it took was an analyst sending some friends to shoot cellphone video at games, and the Big Ten allowed that to turn into the War of the Midwest.
There’s nothing Petitti can do to reverse the harm his ineptitude has caused. He took the liberty of becoming judge, jury, and executioner, but also waited just long enough for Michigan to be convicted in the court of public opinion.
Absent evidence that Harbaugh knew what was going on, Petitti is essentially suspending him for mishandling his staff during the sign-stealing case. Well, what should that same logic mean for a commissioner who has bungled every aspect of this situation?
Michigan is without a doubt the biggest loser in this case. But the Big Ten isn’t far behind.