Jim Harbaugh will not be in attendance at Michigan’s home opener this month, despite being announced as an honorary captain less than a week ago.
The new Los Angeles Chargers head coach had planned to travel to Ann Arbor despite his recently announced NCAA suspension and penalty for good cause, which will not affect him while he remains in the NFL. However, Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, He told reporters on Tuesday that Harbaugh wouldn’t make it.
The reason given for the absence was something Harbaugh was already expected to consider: he didn’t want to leave his current team alone.
Moore’s explanation:
“I actually talked to Coach yesterday and what really went into the decision is that… we made the decision in March, or I think it was January or February, actually… it was really to honor him for what he’s done for Michigan. He came back for nine years and got us to where we are now, so it was really to honor him and nothing more than that.
“He called me yesterday and said he didn’t feel like leaving his team like Coach Harbaugh does, and he wanted to be in the trenches with his team and he didn’t want it to look like he was taking a deep bow.”
Instead, Michigan will welcome Harbaugh’s parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, as honorary captains for the game against Fresno State on Aug. 31. Harbaugh will continue to prepare the Chargers for their own season opener, scheduled for Sept. 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Chargers aside, Harbaugh’s presence at the Wolverines’ home opener had already become a story unto itself. That might not have been good for Michigan considering it threatened to amplify a couple of narratives the program would like to shut down, between the ongoing NCAA investigation and questions about whether Moore can hold on as a successor.