In the latest fallout from the ongoing battle between Michigan and the Big Ten, a judge was appointed to the case due to a potential conflict of interest, while current and former players tweeted one-word responses following Jim Harbaugh’s suspension.
Following the suspension announcement, several Michigan football players tweeted the word “Bet” — defined in the modern slang context by Urban Dictionary as “something (a person) says when someone doubts them.”
Those players included current Michigan starting QB JJ McCarthy, as well as former Michigan QB and future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady.
Meanwhile, the University of Michigan has filed a temporary restraining order in the Washtenaw County Trial Court to halt the suspension — with the Michigan Board of Regents and Harbaugh as plaintiffs and the Big Ten Conference and its commissioner Tony Petitti as defendants.
This led to the most interesting twist: the judge initially assigned to this case was the Honorable Timothy P. Connors, a graduate of the University of Michigan and lecturer at the University of Michigan Law School.
Michigan football players – both past and present – rallied behind coach Jim Harbaugh’s support
Former Michigan man Tom Brady tweeted on social media on Friday the same phrase as current Wolverines quarterback JJ McCarthy and many other Michigan players
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season on Friday due to a personal sign-stealing scandal. The University of Michigan filed a restraining order in local court seeking to reinstate Harbaugh and circumvent the conference’s ruling.
This was first reported by the Detroit News sportswriter Tony Pauluswho added that there ‘might be a refusal’.
Nearly an hour later, it was revealed that the case was now before a different judge: Carol Kunhke, who is also a Michigan alumnus.
Their appointments raise many more questions than they answer.
A number of things are not clear. For starters, Friday is a holiday in honor of Veterans Day. Not only is Saturday a day when the courts are closed, but it is actually Veterans Day, so a ruling is generally unlikely.
It is not clear whether Kunhke will recuse himself from this case as well, as judges will typically recuse themselves from a case if the public might notice judicial impropriety in a ruling. However, in the event of an emergency, this can be put aside.
If she chooses to withdraw, the Washtenaw County Trial Court will transfer the case to one of the other five judges. Of those five, three went to schools that are rivals to Michigan (two Michigan State alumni and one Notre Dame alumnus), while the other two went to the University of Toledo and New York University.
It is not clear whether the Michigan ruling would be recognized in the jurisdictions of other states. The Wolverines’ next two games are on the road at Penn State and Maryland. Additionally, the Big Ten is headquartered in Illinois, so a ruling against the Michigan conference may not apply to the remaining football leagues.
This begs the question of what Michigan’s hopes are for this petition. If their hope is to fully reinstate Harbaugh for the team’s final three regular-season games, there is no guarantee that Pennsylvania and Maryland will recognize the restraining order blocking the suspension.
The case was initially assigned to the Honorable Timothy Connors (L), but was reassigned to Judge Carol Kuhnke. Both Connors and Kuhnke are alumni of the University of Michigan.
However, it’s likely that if the ruling is in favor of the school and Harbaugh, he could be back on the sidelines for Michigan’s final game of the season: at home against Ohio State.
There are other important points to consider. For starters, it’s not clear how Judge Kuhnke might decide this case.
She could also have the consciousness to ask for time if she needs it to investigate the matter further — as there is already little time to overturn or stop the suspension before Michigan’s afternoon game against Penn State on Saturday.
It should also be noted that Michigan has not expressly denied the existence of the sign-stealing scheme Harbaugh is accused of.
That’s something Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti pointed out in a letter to the school on Friday.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti noted that the school has not denied the existence of the scandal
“The university’s response dated November 8 does not deny that the impermissible plan occurred,” Petitti’s letter said.
“Instead, it offers only procedural and technical arguments designed to delay accountability.”
Furthermore, while the University of Michigan has implored the Big Ten to allow time for “due process,” the conference is not a government and is not required to expressly follow the rules of due process before issuing a stay or ruling. .
Instead, as Petitti argues, he was presented with sufficient evidence by the NCAA showing that “a significant amount of rule-breaking was proven” and that the existence of a sign-stealing scheme was “undisputed” .