Jim Harbaugh was the opposite of pleased with the officiating in Saturday’s long-anticipated showdown between No. 3 Michigan and No. 2 Ohio State. This was evident during the game when Harbaugh destroyed his headset during an offsides call, earning him an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and producing this golden nugget of video:
Nope. These are definitely not broken just let me get them back on and no one will notice. pic.twitter.com/TeHtDNgEAp
— Brendan Darr (@BrendanDarr) November 26, 2016
The most controversial call came in double overtime with Michigan leading by three. OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett ran left on a 4th-and-1 option play to extend the game and was granted the first down on a call that could have gone either way. Seconds later, Buckeyes star receiver Curtis Samuel ran in for the score, securing an OSU win.
After the game, Harbaugh did not mince words.
“I thought there were some outrageous calls, including the one that would have ended the game. I was bitterly disappointed with the officiating.”
Today, the Big Ten Conference released a public statement contesting Harbaugh’s comments as well as issuing Michigan a $10,000 fine.
“The Big Ten determined that Harbaugh’s postgame comments regarding officials were in violation of Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01, which states in part that ‘The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.’ Coaches are teachers as well, and there is an expectation that they set the example for students and others in the area of sportsmanship.”
You could make a case that Michigan got railroaded on a couple calls, but you could also make a compelling case that Michigan didn’t make enough big plays to beat a team like Ohio State. If you don’t want to the refs to make game-deciding calls, don’t put the game in their hands. It’s like in basketball when dudes at the park complain about the rims. They wouldn’t have that problem if they hit nothing but net. RAINDROPS!
[h/t SI]