Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh denies allegations against Michigan staff in NCAA notice of allegations

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh has been facing questions about the advanced scouting and signature stealing scandal that has gripped Michigan’s football program since last season.

Michigan is awaiting an official notice of allegations from the NCAA regarding its knowledge of staffer Connor Stalions’ scheme. However, a draft of the notice was obtained by ESPN and the document names Harbaugh alongside current Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore, former linebackers coach Chris Partridge and staffers Stalions and Denard Robinson.

When asked about the report during a press conference on Monday, Harbaugh maintained that he knew nothing of Stalion’s activities and that he had not committed any of the allegations listed in the draft.

“Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal. I was raised with that lesson,” Harbaugh told reporters, including ESPN’s Kris Rihm. “I raised my family with that lesson. I preached that lesson to the teams I coached.”

“Nobody’s perfect. When you stumble, you apologize and make it right,” he added. “Today I make no apologies. I had no part, knowledge or complicity in those allegations. So for me it’s back to work and attacking with a fervor that humanity has never seen.”

Throughout last season, his ninth in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh maintained that he knew nothing of the advanced scouting and sign stealing that Stalions allegedly orchestrated. Michigan ultimately finished 15-0 and won the College Football Playoff national championship.

Harbaugh, Moore, Partridge and Stalions were charged with Level 1 violations, which are considered the most serious by the NCAA, and show a “pattern of noncompliance within the football program.”

According to ESPN, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale, both former assistants on Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan, also committed recruiting violations during the draft.

Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for the final three games of Michigan’s regular season for violating the conference’s sportsmanship policy regarding the allegations against the program. The school also handed Harbaugh a three-game suspension to start the season.

The draft says Harbaugh could face a “show-cause” penalty that could limit his employment if he returns to collegiate athletics. However, there is no evidence of Harbaugh’s knowledge or participation in Stalion’s activities in the document.