Jim Harbaugh's culture at Michigan football: 'Go to the line and cross it’

A statement from an unnamed former Michigan football staffer to NCAA investigators further called into question the culture of the program and lack of rule-following under former coach Jim Harbaugh.

The findings were contained in the Division I committee on infractions’ 48-page report released Wednesday regarding violations within the Wolverines' program, which hit Harbaugh now in charge of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, with a four-year show cause penalty and a one-year suspension. His Level II violation for impermissible recruiting contacts during a COVID-19 dead period turned into a Level I infraction, after NCAA investigators determined he misled them.

'Go to the line and cross it if you had to'

The report details the recruiting improprieties were not a one-time occurrence, rather something that happened across multiple instances. Chief among them were visits during the first half of the 2021 calendar year, when college football programs were not permitted to have contact with high school recruits.

The investigation states Harbaugh suggested staffers get players to Ann Arbor despite rules at the time.

“According to the recruiting director, Harbaugh urged him to 'get guys to campus,'" the report reads on page 4. “The recruiting director reported that the football staff had no process in place to alert the athletics compliance staff when prospects were planning to visit campus…In addition, the recruiting director reported that the football staff took no precautions during the visits to avoid in-person contact with the prospects. 

“The recruiting director stated that, as a general matter, 'the culture (in the football program) wasn't to be safe, the culture was to go to the line and cross it if you had to.’"

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Two current Michigan staffers react

Michigan wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy is in his fourth year on staff, the longest run outside of head coach Sherrone Moore, and a former Michigan receiver. He has seen the program at both the highest of highs and lowest of lows.

One of the team's primary recruiters on the offensive side of the ball, Bellamy said Thursday from his vantage, Michigan's culture is what it has always been. Bending the rules or breaking them is not what the staff stands for, he said.

"For us, the culture is finding young men who can help Michigan win," Bellamy said in Ann Arbor. "Guys that want to come in, get a great education, get a degree from Michigan ... then get an opportunity to play for one of the premier football programs in America. That's how we recruit, that's the type of kids we're looking for and that's the standard here.

"I don't think crossing lines or anything like that, that's not what we're about."

[ MUST LISTEN: Reacting to more NCAA punishment on U-M football. Make "Hail Yes!" your go-to Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

A number of significant marks have presented themselves within the U-M football program since January 2023.

Numerous staffers have been fired including former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss (computer crimes), linebackers coach Chris Partridge (failed to uphold contract), recruiting staffer Denard Robinson (DUI), defensive line coach Greg Scruggs (DUI), and assistant director of recruiting Shemy Schembechler (liking inappropriate social media posts).

Another handful have been suspended including Harbaugh (twice, six games total), Moore (one game) and Grant Newsome (one game). That's before mentioning former recruiting staffer Connor Stalions, known as the center of an alleged sign-stealing plot at the heart of another ongoing NCAA investigation. He resigned a few weeks after reports of an illegal operation broke.

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U-M last week was served with a draft Notice of Allegations surrounding those events, which charges four former staffers (Harbaugh, Partridge, Robinson and Stalions) with Level I violations, and pings Moore with a Level II violation. He could be subject to punishment as a repeat offender, further staining his program before his first game as head coach. The draft is subject to change, but the university also faces a Level 1 violation due to its "pattern of noncompliance within the football program," ESPN reported.

Former analyst turned special teams coordinator J.B. Brown, in his second season on staff, stands firm in his beliefs U-M has, and will continue to, operate in good faith.

"The culture to me is I think we follow every rule," Brown said Thursday. "I know we're handling the compliance and think we've done a great job of just making sure that we're doing everything we're supposed to be doing."

Below is the NCAA's 48-page document released Wednesday on Michigan's recruiting violations stemming from 2021:

For openers: Bulldogs

Matchup: Michigan (15-0 in 2023) vs. Fresno State (9-4 in 2023), season opener.

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 31; Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor.

TV/radio: NBC; WXYT-FM (97.1).