For a team that had won a natty and then went on to survive a hard-hitting 2024 run without their tried and tested QB and HC, you’d think they’d finally catch a break. Right? First, what was it? The “Burgergate” thing over COVID recruiting violations. Then the whole Conner Stallions shebang putting a big question mark on the natty validity? God, just when you thought that Jim Harbaugh might just finally catch a break in the NFL, the ghosts of Wolverines drama keep dragging that man for another round. Now, in the middle of the year, it’s the whole Matt Weiss computer crime saga. Jim Harbaugh is once again at the center of the circus with a nasty lawsuit, which is not only dragging his name through the mud, but is also raising eyebrows at the AD and UM president.

With everyone lining up to take another shot at the Wolverines, the last person you’d ever expect to come to his defense just stepped into the ring. “As egregious as it is that this… what this coach was doing,” Urban Meyer started, “to start dragging in an AD and a president and Jim Harbaugh? I’d pump the brakes on that.” For Meyer to defend Harbaugh is like a Hatfield sticking up for a McCoy; it just doesn’t happen. These are two guys who battled for years in one of the most intense rivalries in sports. But, that isn’t going to stop the former Bucks HC from drawing the line between the alleged acts of Weiss and the automatic guilt of his former boss.

So, let’s break this entire thing down: 11 women athletes filed a lawsuit against UM and Weiss, stating “significant and severe damages.” Now, what was the driving factor behind this? Well, the lawsuit alleges that Weiss was “stealing” the identity of more than 3,000 athletes using the NCAA database. The whole drama was unauthorized, and with the involvement of “intimate and personal photos and videos” of the said athletes being shared, the lawsuit has reached a $50 million compensation point.

Why is Harbaugh in the middle of this? Well, RJ Young summed it up quite nicely: “If it were your kid, would you be concerned that Jim Harbaugh knew about this? I think you would be, right? And I think you would want an explanation.” It’s the same thing that happened during the Stalions drama, but far more serious.

Even then, Harbaugh was questioned on whether he knew about Stalions and the entire sign-stealing thing. The HC flatly denied having any knowledge. Now with Meyer climbing in with his defense, maybe Harbaugh and his lawyers will once again state “not being involved” in this mess.

But then again, doesn’t this bring the fans full circle, thinking about how, as the HC of the program, Harbaugh did NOT know about all of these activities going on in UM? And what’s worse is that although Harbaugh escaped the sign-stealing shenanigans unscathed, the Weiss lawsuit might leave a long-lasting impact on his NFL coaching career.

“The NFL can do whatever it wants”

“All that’s left is the contract signed by the coach, and all those contracts contain a clause that allows the NFL to be the judge, jury and executioner.” Mike Florio didn’t beat around the bush while talking about Harbaugh’s fate as the Chargers’ HC post-Weiss lawsuit.

If, in any way, Harbaugh is found guilty of having knowledge of Weiss’s activities and still allowing him to coach during the TCU game, then it’s safe to say that the NFL will follow along with a not-so-sugarcoated disciplinary action.

The league has done it before. Take Jim Tressel and Terrelle Pryor for the Bucks tattoo scandal. Both got slapped with disciplinary actions. While Harbaugh has stated that he was “shocked, completely shocked, disturbed,” this federal class-action lawsuit might just end up turning his entire life upside-down.