ESPN college football analyst and talk show host Paul Finebaum was not a fan of Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh’s claim that the Wolverines should be “America’s team.”
“I found it sad and terrible,” Finebaum remarked Monday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” (via On3). “Why? Because this is not the American team. This is not what America is about. Here we are, only days after Veterans Day, when we commemorate those who truly symbolize America. This team represents nothing but a program that has been accused of cheating. Cheating.”
REQUIRED READING: Jim Harbaugh: Why Michigan Football Should Be Considered America’s Team.
Harbaugh was punished for three games on November 9 after the Big Ten ruled Michigan in violation of the conference’s sportsmanship standard for sign snatching.Monday by referring to the Michigan Wolverines as a club that is outperforming expectations.
“It must be America’s team. “This needs to be America’s team,” Harbaugh stated at his Monday news conference. “America admires a team that defies the odds, overcomes hardship, and defies what doubters, detractors, and so-called experts believe. “That’s my favorite type of team.”
Despite Harbaugh’s absence from the sideline, No. 3 Michigan (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) upset No. 10 Penn State (8-2, 5-2) 24-15 on Saturday, with offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore serving as interim coach. Harbaugh may attend workouts and team activities but cannot be present on game days.
Finebaum eventually disagreed with Harbaugh’s remarks.
“Trying to steal signs in order to gain an unfair advantage is not how this country was created, and it is not what America’s team should be portrayed as,” he stated.
Finebaum has been critical of Michigan in recent weeks, claiming that it is not on the same level as long-time rival Ohio State.
