Flimsy explanation revealed for timing of Big Ten's ruling against Michigan

Regardless of the rationale, the Big Ten's choice to hand down punishment on Friday afternoon of a federal holiday, Veteran's Day, while the team was in the air on their way to Penn State is curious, to say the least. If nothing else, it casts a negative light on the conference and its motives.

On Friday, the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season. The conference justified the ruling by implying that the punishment was for the school's involvement in alleged in-person scouting and not necessarily any actions by the team's head coach.

Following an investigation, the Big Ten ruled that Michigan had violated the conference's Sportsmanship Policy "for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition."

Michigan's response was swift and biting. In a statement, the program all but called Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti a hypocrite for "altering the level playing field that he is claiming to preserve." Furthermore, Michigan promised legal action in an attempt to keep Harbaugh on the sidelines.

"To ensure fairness in the process, we intend to seek a court order, together with Coach Harbaugh, preventing this disciplinary action from taking effect," the statement read.