On Friday, Aug. 15, the NCAA issued sweeping sanctions in the Michigan sign-stealing case, headlined by a 10-year show-cause order for Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. That penalty stacks onto a separate four-year show-cause from 2024. So, if the math is right, then this will block Jim from any college return until 2038. But Jim’s not the only casualty as Connor Stalions and Sherrone Moore, now head coach at Michigan, get in the NCAA’s crosshairs as well. Michigan was fined heavily, placed on four years’ probation, hit with recruiting restrictions, and faces losses projected at more than $20 million when postseason revenue is factored.

The NCAA has no jurisdiction over the NFL. Commissioner Roger Goodell has broad personal-conduct authority. But he has not signaled any intention to act. A modern example exists that brushes up against cross-league discipline. Jim Tressel in 2011, with the Colts, when the NCAA penalties led to his suspension for six games. But the fresh one? The one that every current NFL fan remembers is from October 2024. The NCAA gave the then-Raiders coach Antonio Pierce an eight-year show-cause for violations at Arizona State, but the NFL took no action.

The infractions panel found “overwhelming” evidence of in-person scouting organized by Stalions across multiple seasons. The findings matched details that surfaced in 2023 and were confirmed by documents collected over two years. The separate 2024 case against Harbaugh involved Level I-aggravated charges for unethical conduct and failure to cooperate during a COVID dead-period recruiting probe. That case brought the four-year show-cause and a one-season suspension if he returned to college coaching before it expired.

Friday’s 10-year penalty begins after the first ends. Together, the two create a 14-year ban from NCAA sidelines. Michigan’s sanctions include four years of probation, scholarship reductions, and significant postseason revenue forfeitures for 2025–26. The NCAA’s release emphasized that the program’s violations were “systemic” and “directed from the top.”

Harbaugh’s attorney, Tom Mars, dismissed the ruling last year. “From Coach Harbaugh’s perspective, today’s decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you’ve been suspended because you didn’t sign the yearbook,” he said, calling the NCAA a “kangaroo court.” So, it will be interesting to hear Tom’s two cents on the latest verdict. Harbaugh signed an $80 million deal with the Chargers earlier this year. Unless the NFL invokes its personal-conduct policy, the penalties remain symbolic in his current role.

There’s also a coaching-performance counterweight that complicates any appetite for discipline. Harbaugh’s NFL track record is 55-25-1 with three NFC title games in San Francisco. Now, let’s pair that with an immediate bump in Los Angeles, an 11-6 playoff season that calmed an organization desperate for a stable QB1-HC partnership. In Park Avenue deliberations, so do union posture, the coach’s contractual standing, and the lack of a CBA mechanism tether NCAA findings to NFL sanctions. That’s why Tressel is a cautionary tale. And not a rulebook entry.

If there’s a pivot point to watch, it’s whether the league views the NCAA’s “head coach responsibility” and “failure to cooperate” language, which hammered Harbaugh in the 2024 case. And it echoes in the 2025 ruling as potentially relevant to NFL standards, especially if it touches on integrity-of-the-game issues. Historically, Goodell has only stepped in when there’s a direct NFL connection or a reputational spillover. The Tressel case was more about optics than policy. Without new evidence that ties this to the NFL, precedent suggests the Chargers’ situation stays as is.

Inside Michigan’s penalties for Jim Harbaugh: dollars, dates, and deterrence measures

Michigan’s infractions ruling landed with force. The program faces four years of probation, a 25% cut in official visits for 2025-26, and a 14-week recruiting communication ban during that period. Financial hits include a $50,000 fine, 10% of the football budget, and a claw back of lost postseason revenue-sharing for 2025 and 2026. So, this pushes the total above $20 million.

Connor Stalions drew an eight-year show-cause. Sherrone Moore a two-year show-cause with a three-game suspension… And former player personnel director Denard Robinson a three-year show-cause. The Committee on Infractions cited a range of violations, from impermissible recruiting to failure to cooperate. But Harbaugh’s penalty is the most severe. His 10-year show-cause, starting in August 2028 after his current four-year order ends, makes him effectively unhireable at the college level until 2038. During that time, any NCAA program hiring him would have to suspend him for a full season. Plus, bar him from all football activities. Moore’s suspension will cover Michigan’s Week 3 game against Central Michigan and the Week 4 Big Ten opener against Nebraska in 2025. But not just that… It will also include the first game of 2026.

Meanwhile, the investigation revealed a three-year sign-stealing operation led by Stalions. Per the report, he purchased tickets and filmed signals at 13 opponents’ games over 52 contests. Evidence showed he disguised himself in Central Michigan gear to attend a game in 2023, while staffers and even Harbaugh himself obstructed the probe. Messages were deleted, materials destroyed, and false statements given. Recruiting violations involving four prospects were also documented. The panel called Stalions’ conduct “some of the worst the COI has ever seen” as cited by CBS Sports. In addition to this, they also criticized Harbaugh for fostering a culture that disregarded NCAA rules.

So, the fines sting, the probation looms, and the show-causes stretch into the next decade, yet many insiders doubt their long-term bite. The NCAA’s slow process allowed Michigan to win a national title before discipline landed. And the NFL remains outside the reach of these sanctions. Unless new evidence ties the violations to pro football, Harbaugh’s tenure with the Chargers continues uninterrupted. That’s the reality check: in the NCAA’s playbook, the clock can run long, but the final whistle doesn’t always change the score.