Getty John Harbaugh made fun of his brother's scouting scandal at Michigan
As John Harbaugh and his Baltimore Ravens attempt to make a run at their first Super Bowl ring since the 2012 season, the team’s head coach just had the opportunity to celebrate his brother winning a ring of his own.
Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan Wolverines won the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8.
Along the way, Harbaugh and Michigan ran into some issues.
He was suspended for three games on two separate occasions.
The second came as a result of a scouting scandal that led to members of the staff being fired.
On January 12, the Ravens’ Harbaugh revealed that some of his team’s scouts have had flights to Kansas City cancelled because of weather.
While making that revelation, he made fun of his brother’s scandal, reminding the media that scouting is legal in the NFL.
https://x.com/StepnerWMAR/status/1745898223393276399?s=20
Jim Harbaugh’s Scouting Scandal
Back in October, the NCAA opened an investigation into Michigan over whether they had been scouting opponents in person to try and steal signs.
Unlike in the NFL, in-person scouting is outlawed in college football.
Despite that, Michigan was believed to have scouted upcoming opponents in person in a scheme that was funded by a booster.
While the NCAA hasn’t yet handed down any penalties, the Big Ten and Michigan both took action.
The conference handed down the three-game suspension, which Harbaugh eventually accepted.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines fired linebackers coach Chris Partridge during the investigation.
Connor Stallions, an analyst for Michigan who was at the center of the scandal, also resigned during the investigation.
In the end, the scandal didn’t prevent the Wolverines from winning the national title and it looks like the head coach’s brother at least has a good sense of humor about the whole ordeal.
A Bunch of Different Teams for the Ravens to Scout
Heading into Wild Card weekend, the Ravens have a wide range of opponents that they could hypothetically run into in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
If the Steelers win, they’ll be the Ravens’ opponent. If the Steelers lose and the Dolphins win, then they’ll head to Baltimore in the second round.
If the Dolphins and Steelers both lose, then Ravens get the winner of the Texans–Browns matchup.
The only teams they can’t play in the next round are the Chiefs and Bills.
That uncertainty gives the Ravens a wide range of opponents they could potentially need to prepare for.
The Steelers feature a formidable pass rush and have become very run-heavy since making Mason Rudolph their starting QB.
The Dolphins have found most of their success on the offensive side of the ball. The Dolphins led the league in total yardage behind a rushing attack that topped 2000 yards while Tua Tagovailoa threw for more than 4500 yards.
The Texans turned into one of football’s best passing attacks with CJ Stroud, who is likely to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, under center.
The Browns have gone through major changes on offense throughout the season because of injuries to Nick Chubb and Joe Flacco, but one thing has remained constant for them. They had one of football’s most formidable defenses.
They allowed football’s least yards in 2023.
The Ravens have seemingly had no issues preparing for any opponent recently, but the teams they could potentially play the Divisional Round don’t have very much in common.