From the article:
"
While under NCAA bylaws head coaches are presumed responsible for a staff member’s actions, the Big Ten sportsmanship policy does not feature such a clause.
The policy holds “institutions,” not head coaches, as “responsible for, and therefore, may be held accountable for, the actions of its employees, coaches, student-athletes, band, spirit squads, mascot(s), general student body and any other individual or group of individuals over whom or which it maintains some level of authority.”
Can the Big Ten apply a NCAA bylaw to override its own bylaw to suspend Harbaugh? That’s the kind of question — and others that arise from two bureaucratic mazes — that will no doubt be asked of a judge."
If I'm the Big Ten and I have reason to believe that's how UM is going to respond, then I cut that off. If the conference is able to hold the institution responsible, but not the coach, then I tell them "okay have it your way" and then ban the school from conference post season play for 3 years, vacate any conference championships they have since 2021, and cut them out of revenue sharing for 3 years.
I've now punished the institution, not any of the coaches or players.
