Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended by Big 10, and will not be able to coach his team for the last three of their regular season games. Harbaugh’s sudden suspension has fans fuming, and NFL enthusiast and investor Joe Pompliano drew an interesting comparison between this situation and Tom Brady’s deflate-gate.
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Pompliano took to X to air his thoughts about the whole suspension situation, and he seemed to be majorly disappointed by the conference’s decision. Coach Harbaugh was suspended on Friday, 23 days after the NCAA first notified of its findings about the Wolverines’ involvement in a sign-stealing scheme. According to the NCAA, analyst Connor Stalions and others scouted future opponents off campus. This practice has been banned by the NCAA since 1994.
According to Pompliano, Big 10 suspended the coach without completing a full investigation and admitted they have no evidence of any wrongdoing “all because of public pressure.” He pointed out when the NFL suspended Tom Brady after a proper, thorough, and intensive investigation of his role in “deflate-gate.”
The league apparently spent a lot of money- a whopping $22 Million- on the investigation, including a 243-page report that took four months to prepare. While Brady was suspended after the investigation had reached its conclusion, Harbaugh has been suspended before a report has been filed. He further stated that the conference doesn’t even have investigators, so it is going off of the word of the NCAA.
A Stain on a Stellar Record: Tom Brady’s Suspension
Tom Brady was suspended for 4 games in 2016 for his part in the controversy that has been dubbed “deflate-gate.” According to the league and the investigative “Wells Report,” the Patriots broke NFL rules by deflating footballs during the 2014 AFC title game against the Indianapolis Colts. A game-used ball tested at halftime came out to be under the minimum PSI, triggering a massive cheating scandal.
The 253-page report found the Patriots at fault and said that Brady was “at least generally aware” of the scheme of deflating footballs. While he was suspended, the team had to pay a $1 Million fine and lost two draft picks. However, it has been impossible to identify what advantage the Patriots gained as a result of the alleged deflated footballs.
