The day before Michigan plays a football game at Maryland, another game will play out in a Michigan courtroom. Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh intends to be there.
And he doesn’t intend to be silent.
“I’m going to talk on Friday,” Harbaugh said Monday, via ESPN.com. “I’m just looking forward to that opportunity — due process. I’m not looking for special treatment, not looking for a popularity contest, just looking for the merit of what the case is.”
Friday’s hearing will consider Michigan’s request for an order ending Harbaugh’s game-day suspension until the underlying lawsuit has been resolved. (Michigan already has failed to secure a “temporary restraining order” allowing Harbaugh to coach two days ago, at Penn State.) The argument is that, basically, the harm from wrongfully suspending Harbaugh can’t be fixed later.
Sometimes, such hearings include live testimony from witnesses. Harbaugh would be the most sensible person to testify about the “irreparable harm” that comes from not being permitted to coach his team, if it turns out that the Big Ten overstepped its bounds with the suspension.
The ultra-competitive Harbaugh embraces the looming legal fight, as well.
“I’ve always felt like it’d be cool to get up there and thunder away at a jury like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men or be a judge,” Harbaugh said. “Alas, I did not go to law school. This will be the first time I’ve ever really been in this situation.”
He’ll be closer to Jack Nicholson than Tom Cruise on Friday. Here, however, Harbaugh is the one against whom the Code Red was ordered. The question is whether the Code Red can be delayed until the judge decides whether the Code Red should be denied.
