Urban Meyer doesn’t believe the NCAA did enough to rightfully punish Michigan. As a result of the sign-stealing scandal that will forever be a stain on the legacy of the 2023 national championship team, the NCAA doled out hefty fines, four years of probation and a suspension to Wolverines coach Sherrone Moore.
Michigan is expected to pay more than $20 million, which would be the most ever in an NCAA case. However, Meyer believes it’s not the university that should be punished, but moreso the coaches who were on staff at the time.
“What the NCAA did is not the answer,” the former Ohio State and Florida coach said on The Triple Option podcast. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I think coaches, financially, when they sign a contract there’s gotta be — they gotta take the financial hit. Not the university.”
That would include Moore, who was the offensive coordinator during that season before being promoted to head coach after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL the following offseason. Moore will serve a one-game suspension from the NCAA in the 2026 season in addition to a two-game suspension in Weeks 3 and 4 of this season that Michigan self-imposed.
However, it has not been reported that he will see a salary reduction of any sorts. The money used to pay the fines will come from future postseason revenue rather than directly out of any of the coaches’ pockets, including Moore.
Additionally, Harbaugh was given a 10-year ban from coaching in the NCAA. He is now the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers with an average salary of $16 million per year. Assistant Connor Stalions was given an eight-year ban.
To Meyer’s point, one could argue the punishment hardly affects Harbaugh at all if he continues to have success in the NFL. Likewise, Moore won’t see himself impacted too greatly beyond missing three games spread out over two seasons.
From the outside, it seems like Michigan may have gotten off a little too easily in Urban Meyer’s estimation. His co-host Rob Stone agreed, following up with a scathing critique of the NCAA.
“We know the NCAA is toothless at this point,” Stone said. “They’re not here to dole out punishment. This was kind of their last hurrah. They could’ve come down hard on Michigan. If you’re a Michigan fan, they’re like, ‘Thank you. We just paid $20 million for a national title.’ Every damn day they would do that.”
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