In the wake of the Big Ten’s suspension of Jim Harbaugh, Michigan is trying to fight back.
The school, in an attempt to block the suspension, filed a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County Trial Court, according to multiple reports.
Judge Carol Kuhnke, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Michigan in 1990, will be the one making the decision.
If the filing is granted, it would block Harbaugh’s suspension — which is for the remainder of the regular season — until a court can hear the case.
The Big Ten on Friday banned Harbaugh from coaching from the sidelines for the rest of the regular season in the wake of a sign-stealing scandal.
The conference said in its announcement that Michigan led “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
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Michigan denounced the decision in its own statement.
“Today’s action by Commissioner Tony Petitti disregards the Conference’s own handbook, violates basic tenets of due process, and sets an untenable precedent of assessing penalties before an investigation has been completed,” Michigan said in a statement Friday.
“We are dismayed at the Commissioner’s rush to judgment when there is an ongoing NCAA investigation – one in which we are fully cooperating.”
Michigan has been embroiled in the scandal and investigation after reports emerged that ex-staffer Connor Stalions allegedly attended games of upcoming Wolverines opponents and recorded hand signals.
Stalions resigned from his position last week.
