In the land of palm trees and high expectations, the Los Angeles Chargers’ new head coach, Jim Harbaugh, might be finding more trouble than touchdowns. The NCAA threw a curveball with a four-year show-cause order. This grounds Harbaugh from college football until August 2028 for some pandemic-era recruiting fouls. It’s a major setback for a coach who’s used to calling plays, not dodging penalties. But hold on! This move has analysts shaking their heads, with one senior NFL analyst calling the decision “absurd.”

Speaking on ESPN’s Get Up on August 8th, sports author Paul Finebaum pulled no punches, unleashing a vocabulary blitz on the NCAA. “I’m searching, desperately, because I’m a writer, to come up with new words to describe the NCAA. But I mean, the same ones apply every time. They are completely dysfunctional. They are vindictive, [and] they are petty. But mostly, and I think everybody can sing the hymnal here, they’re laughable!” Paul’s rant was like a two-minute drill—fast, furious, and unapologetic. But what is the decision that’s making headlines?

The NCAA has thrown a penalty flag on Jim Harbaugh, claiming the Chargers’ new head coach and recent Michigan mastermind—charging them to an undefeated championship—has fumbled his compliance duties and failed to keep his recruiting game within the rules. According to their 48-page playbook of reprimands, Harbaugh didn’t just drop the ball—he “engaged in unethical conduct and failed to cooperate when he denied any involvement in impermissible recruiting contacts despite substantial information to the contrary.” It seems Harbaugh might need a new game plan, as his old one clearly didn’t cover the crucial chapters on ethics and cooperation.

But hold the whistle—Paul’s analysis adds another layer to this playbook: “Nobody really cares about them. That’s why he [Harbaugh] left.” He believes that Jim’s whole point of moving to the NFL means that he “never” returns to college football. Whether the NFL will uphold the NCAA’s ban remains up for debate, especially with Commissioner Roger Goodell staying tight-lipped. Meanwhile, Paul keeps the conversation going, using past examples to shed light on why Harbaugh made his move.

The former columnist brought up Pete Carroll’s high-speed exit from USC in 2010, right before the Trojans faced a two-year postseason ban and a loss of 30 scholarships. Carroll’s dash to Seattle was a textbook case of leaving behind a mess. As Paul quips, “Pete ran as fast as he could and left the mess to Lane Kiffin, Sarkisian, and everyone else, and they are still trying to dig out from it.”

Finebaum then said that this is not new—what Jim Harbaugh has done. Further pointing out that it’s a far cry from serious offenses like Connor Stalion’s sign-stealing scandal. For context, Stalions was on Harbaugh’s staff until November, accused of sneaky tactics like scouting future opponents and recording their signals.

So, for the NCAA to hit Harbaugh with this decision is just ‘pathetic’. And what for? As Paul puts it, “For the audience to remember, this is not for the serious stuff. This is not for Connor Stallion’s sign-stealing. This is for, I don’t know, handing out hamburgers to recruits or players during COVID. I mean, had Harbaugh said, ‘OK, I did it. You got me.’ He may have been suspended for a game. Instead, he’s been banned for life and sentenced to a firing squad. That’s how absurd this is.” 

Well, the senior analyst isn’t alone in calling out the NCAA’s decision as pure madness. Jim Harbaugh’s lawyer has jumped into the fray with a quirky rebuttal of his own.

Tom Mars says Jim Harbaugh should ignore the NCAA’s “kangaroo court”!

Tom Mars is a renowned attorney with a knack for snark. Now, he had his own touchdown dance in response to the NCAA’s penalty against Jim Harbaugh. After the NCAA threw down a four-year show-cause penalty, Mars couldn’t resist comparing it to a high school reprimand for missing yearbook signatures. “Today’s COI decision is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school saying you’ve been suspended because you didn’t sign the yearbook,” Mars quipped.

But that’s not it! He further suggested that Harbaugh’s got an $80 million NFL contract from the Chargers. So, the coach has bigger fish to fry than listening to the NCAA’s ‘kangaroo court.’ Which, the lawyer said, “claims to represent the principles of the nation’s most flagrant, repeat violator of the federal antitrust laws.” 

Mars has never been one to shy away from a verbal blitz. Previously, he stirred up controversy with satirical social media jabs at the NCAA. And now his recent comments have only added fuel to the fire.

With the NCAA’s ruling essentially benching Harbaugh from college football until August 2028, it’s clear Mars views this as a ‘joke’ of a penalty rather than a serious setback. As Harbaugh faces this unusual penalty, how do you think it will impact his NFL career? Or will it barely make a dent? Let us know!