Some question whether a cheating scandal taints Michigan’s National Championship victory. Surely, it depends on who you ask. But, sign-stealing had nothing to do with the Wolverines’ 34-13 drubbing of Washington in Monday’s championship game. Whether the Wolverines deserved to be there is a different story altogether. And with that, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough wasn’t sure how to feel about Michigan being crowned national champions for the first time since 1997.
During Tuesday’s episode of Morning Joe, ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum joined Scarborough as they discussed Michigan’s remarkable victory. The team had a perfect 15-0 record despite coach Jim Harbaugh facing multiple three-game suspensions. Harbaugh was first suspended for illegal recruiting activities, but his program was again in the spotlight later for its alleged involvement in an illegal sign-stealing scheme.
“Where I a Michigan fan, I’d want to focus on the kids,” said Scarborough. “And I do want to focus on what a great team they are, and I really do the morning after. I hate to bring this up, but I think we need to bring it up. If there weren’t so many cutaway shots to Harbaugh, I could focus on the kids on the field, but this is a guy that was suspended twice, and the cheating scandal was terrible. And not only was it terrible, he lied about it.
“If you talk to other Big Ten coaches, if you talk to other Big Ten officials, they thought Michigan… should’ve been banned from bowl games or they should’ve had wins taken away from them. What they did was pretty deplorable, and then they got caught lying about it.”
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough on Michigan's cheating scandal: "What they did was pretty deplorable, and then they got caught lying about it." pic.twitter.com/HTnY47Orue
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 9, 2024
While acknowledging the team’s success, he argues that Harbaugh’s past behavior drew unnecessary attention away from the players. That’s when Scarborough turned the conversation back over to Finebaum, asking him about Habrugh’s legacy, even with Monday’s “extraordinary” win.
“Joe, it’s going to be mentioned, but here’s the real issue — and everything you said is accurate,” said Finebaum. “And coaches have texted me and told me all these things that you just regurgitated. But the problem with it sticking was they did what they had to do on the field—the scandal part — the sign-stealing — that didn’t help them last night or against Alabama. And quite frankly, beating Alabama was very significant. Had they beaten somebody else last week, it might not have had the same resonance. But they beat the biggest and the baddest of them all — the biggest name in college football and the greatest coach.
“I think it will subside. I think the main reason it will subside, Joe, is because there’s so much going on right now in college athletics. There’s so much under the table. Players are getting $400k to sign, and it’s not against the rules. So, it’s hard to look at anything being…and making it stick today.”
For Scarborough, Michigan’s championship victory was a bittersweet pill. He wanted to celebrate the players despite the dark cloud hovering over their coach. Yet, Harbaugh’s shadow loomed large, a constant reminder of the ethical lapses that led them to the pinnacle. And if you ask Finebaum, the team being crowned champions had nothing to do with Harbaugh’s perceived unethical actions.
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