Even though Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was serving the third game of a three-game suspension Saturday, he will get a $500,000 bonus for the Wolverines defeating Ohio State 30-24 for the Big Ten Conference East Division title and a place in the conference championship game, his contract with the school shows.
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season on Nov. 10 for his role in the program’s sign-stealing scandal.
The conference found Michigan “in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.”
In addition to Saturday’s, Harbaugh was not allowed to attend Michigan’s games at Penn State and at Maryland. But he was able to attend practices and be involved in preparations.
He can return to the sideline for the conference title game next Saturday, when the No. 3-ranked Wolverines (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) will play Iowa (10-2, 7-2) in Indianapolis. If Michigan wins that game, Harbaugh will be set to receive another $1.5 million in bonuses — $1 million for winning the Big Ten championship and $500,000 for the team all but assuredly getting a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Harbaugh’s contract with Michigan says that if the team reaches certain performance goals and Harbaugh “remains employed as head coach at the time of the applicable game,” he…
