Jim Harbaugh's NCAA punishment is why he was never going back to Michigan

Another shoe has dropped in the ongoing Michigan scandal. Well, which one? Exactly! The latest news on former Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh has everything to do with some hamburgers. Yes, the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers has been given a four-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA that runs through August 2028 "for unethical conduct and recruiting violations."

This was the one stemming from Harbaugh's refusal to cooperate over the alleged burger suspensions that supposedly took place over a COVID dead period. Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games of last season for these instances. Once news came out about Connor Stalions' sign-stealing ways, Harbaugh was later suspended for the final three games of the regular season.

While more and more unravels from the NCAA's investigation into the Stalions case, what should be pointed out was Harbaugh was always going to exit stage right and then plant this on some patsy. The shame in it all is Sherrone Moore has been left holding the bag, while Harbaugh, his defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and his son, special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh went off to the NFL.

Show-cause penalties have become increasingly more common in college athletics in recent years.

This is far better than vacating wins, national championships or trophies of things already decided.

Even if the Stalions situation didn't blow up in their face, there's a chance Harbaugh was gone anyway.

Jim Harbaugh gets a four-year show-cause penalty for unethical conduct and ecruiting violations

If the NCAA wants to regain some of the power it once had, it needs to make examples of coaches like Harbaugh who think and operate like they are above the rules. If he was a more likable guy, maybe the rest of the Big Ten wouldn't have turned on him so quickly? Regardless, we can safely say that Harbaugh will never coach another game in college football. This is the punishment we were wanting.

Even if many of the players off last year's team are still in Ann Arbor, this should never be about punishing the kids. I don't want them to have a bowl ban or a postseason punishment of any kind. This adds another interesting wrinkle in attempting to understand the Jim Harbaugh experience. He may have been a good quarterback, but he was definitely a great head coach, even after these scandals.

What I am getting at is the NCAA is making it a point to try and rid itself of coaches who are routinely not on the up and up. If your school wants you out, you have no shot, buddy. While this doesn't explain why Bobby Petrino is still allowed in the houses of the parents of teenagers, at least we know Harbaugh's days of cutting corners in college football are over. In the NFL, they can sniff that out fast.

For now, we must wait and be patient to see what all will be unfolding from Michigan's other scandal.