The University of Michigan is fighting back against the Big Ten following a ruling by the conference on Friday afternoon in response to the ongoing sign-stealing scandal. Jim Harbaugh was banned from the sidelines during each of the Wolverines’ final three regular season college football games as punishment.
Timing of the decision could not have been funnier. Harbaugh and his team were on a plane from Ann Arbor to State College. If the discipline is upheld, he will have flown to Penn State for nothing and will not be able to coach.
However, Michigan is hoping to get him on the sidelines. To do so, attorneys representing the program filed a breach of contract complaint on Friday night. It asks a judge in the Great Lake State to prevent the Big Ten from imposing a suspension on Harbaugh this weekend. An additional motion that asks for an emergency temporary restraining order was also filed.
The two documents — more than 20 pages in length each — argues that keeping Harbaugh away from the sidelines during Saturday’s top-10 matchup against the Nittany Lions would cause “irreparable harm” to the coach, players and university. They were filed just hours after Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti’s announcement.
The judge ruling on Michigan’s filings add a crazy new twist.
At first, the case was assigned to Washtenaw County Judge Timothy P. Connors. However, he is a Michigan alumnus, lectures at the university’s law school and played defensive back for the football team.
As a result, he was pulled off of the case. Connors’ replacement makes things even wilder.
The Wolverines’ case is now in front of Judge Carol Kunhke. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history of art from…. the University of Michigan.
But the insanity doesn’t stop there!
Connor Stalions, one of the key names in the sign-stealing scandal, purchased an expensive home in March of 2022. Not long thereafter, dozens of old vacuum cleaners started to accumulate on the porch shortly after purchase.
The vacuums were sold on Amazon. They were listed the same poorly-rated seller who was attached to Stalions’ LLC filing in Wyoming— which was also linked to running back Blake Corum.
Neighbors turned around, with help of the Home Owners Association, and sued Stalions.
Who was the presiding judge in the Stalions vacuum case? None other than the honorable Judge Carol Kunhke, the very same woman who is overseeing the new temporary restraining order case filed by Michigan on Friday night!
Michigan hopes that there will be a hearing before kickoff. If not, they will find out their fate over the next 14 days.