MICHIGAN WARNS BIG TEN COMMISH
The University of Michigan warned Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti about overstepping his authority and rushing to judgment, insisting Wednesday that he cannot discipline coach Jim Harbaugh under the conference’s sportsmanship policy for an alleged sign-stealing scheme that has rocked college football.
Parts of the blistering 10page letter sent to Petitti was shared with The Associated Press by a person who has seen it and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by the school to disclose its contents.
The letter is Michigan’s response to the Big Ten’s notification of potential discipline of Harbaugh’s undefeated second-ranked team, which is among the favorites to win the national championship.
Yahoo Sports first reported the contents of Michigan’s response.
Michigan’s letter said the Big Ten cannot take action if a formal decision has not been made about whether rules were violated, the person said. The school also says it would not be fair to discipline the program in part because it provided the Big Ten with evidence suggesting other conference schools were stealing signs and sharing them with one another.
The Wolverines now must wait for Petitti, the Big Ten’s first-year commissioner, to decide whether to punish them quickly or wait for the NCAA to complete its investigation.
The mostly likely punishment would be a suspension of Harbaugh.
The NCAA investigation may not be done until after the season ends with the Jan. 8 national championship game, though the governing body has not provided a timeline.
Michigan (9-0) plays its toughest game of the season on Saturday at No. 9 Penn State. Harbaugh’s team has a shot to win a third straight Big Ten title and the school’s first national championship since 1997.
The football program with the most wins in college football history is prepared to take possible legal action and seek a court order against any punishment handed down by the conference. The potential for a court fight increased this week as the Big Ten and NCAA weighed details and possible evidence in the case.
The case has shadowed the Wolverines and the College Football Playoff discussion for nearly three weeks.
Local colleges
UC San Diego’s Brendon Fezzey was named the Big West Men’s Water Polo Player of the Week.
Fezzey scored four goals, including the game-winner with 28 seconds left on the clock, to lift UC San Diego to a huge, 11-10 Big West victory over UC Davis on Saturday in La Jolla.
Izzy Forsyth led UC San Diego with 17 points as the women’s basketball team (1-1) defeated visiting Life Pacific, 88-32.
For the first time in program history, PLNU men’s soccer will finish atop the PacWest standings, as the Sea Lions clinched at least a share of the conference title with a 0-0 draw against visiting Westmont.
Soccer
Chris Donovan scored in the 79th minute and goalkeeper Andre Blake recorded his third career playoff clean sheet as the Philadelphia Union beat the New England Revolution 1-0 to sweep the best-of-three series and advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against Supporters’ Shield winner Cincinnati.
Sporting Kansas City defender Logan Ndenbe tore the ACL in his right knee in his team’s win over St. Louis City last weekend, sidelining him for the rest of the MLS Cup playoffs and into next season.
Also
Manas Dhamne and
Rushil Khosla combined for a 6-3, 2-6 (10-2) victory over Jonah Hill and Stiles Brockett to lead India to a 4-1 win over the United States in Round Two of the IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge Worldwide Finals. The international junior tennis competition continues through Saturday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
Oleg Protopopov, who, with his wife, Ludmila Belousova, revolutionized pairs figure skating in the 1960s with a balletic style, and who twice won Olympic gold medals with her for the Soviet Union before defecting to the West, died Oct. 31 in Interlaken, Switzerland. He was 91.
NC State quarterback
MJ Morris has opted to redshirt the rest of the season and preserve a year of eligibility.