OK, after calming down and not letting raw emotions dictate the situation, here is my suggested course of action as to what steps Michigan should take next:
1. Get an immediate injunction so that Jim Harbaugh can coach the remainder of the season.
2. Commence legal proceedings against the Big Ten
3. Commence formulating a potential exit strategy from the Big Ten. This would include:
a) Assessment whether the Big Ten's actions would enable Michigan to get out of their grant of rights commitment prior to 2027. If so, move fast. The faster the better
b) Put out feelers to the SEC and ACC
c) Explore the possibility of forming a Super Conference with Notre Dame, possibly the Pac 10 schools that are bolting to the Big Ten (if they are not already locked in contractually when it comes to TV rights), and perhaps several others
d) Make clear that if Michigan was to remain in the Big Ten certain conditions would have to be met, including the dismissal of the current commissioner, removal of Delaney from the payroll, minimum 3-game suspensions for all head coaches whose teams engaged in advance in-person scouting asap (let those schools take their own legal measures to get their "due process"), a public apology from the Big Ten, and a renegotiation of the TV rights breakdown so that Michigan gets a percentage commensurate to the TV eyeballs it attracts.
d) Make sure that the Big Ten and general public is well aware of Michigan taking the above steps
4. Go to the Michigan state legislature and pull a "Tennessee". See what potential legislative action can be taken against the Big Ten and, possibly, the NCAA
5. Time to start dripping, and I mean big drips, all the information that Michigan has on every school in the Big Ten. No exceptions. Not all in one go. But in the next few weeks. Time it so it hurts most. Drip the Ohio State information the days before the Ohio State game
6. When we win the Big Ten title have Harbaugh accept the trophy and announce Michigan's plan to exit the Big Ten and that he has just signed a new long-term contract to remain at Michigan.
7. The cat is out of the bag. Michigan hires private investigators to clean up all the evidence they currently possess and get additional information that will suffice as proof of other schools violating various Big Ten and NCAA rules. When the evidence is gathered it should be leaked to the press and Michigan should insist to the Big Ten commissioner that he act IMMEDIATELY to suspend the repsctive head coaches. PIs should also start investigating for other rules-breaking activity at Big Ten schools. All of them. And leak that info to the press as soon as available. Finally, and most importantly, Ryan Day and Ohio State. If there is a nexus between Day and the private investigators that provided the info to the NCAA, we need to find it. The sooner the better. And once found, unleash hell on Ohio State. And, keep on investigating that school so long as we are in the Big Ten, as obviously such investigations are most welcome by this particular conference.
8. Create a new narrative: Spin this as the Big Ten and the other teams out to get Jim. Could be personal. Could also be his policy with respect to student-athletes being paid their fair share of the TV revenues. I suspect mostly the latter. THIS is the opportunity for Jim to take the lead on this issue. Instead of shutting him down he should become a voice for the athletes. In fact, Michigan should try and set up a super conference, break away from the NCAA, with the number one differentiator of this new conference being that the footabll players will be paid a fair share of the TV revenues. Get 8-10 elite programs to join in, great TV money-well over $140 million per school as there would be no laggards for the blue bloods to subsidize-and split the revenues 50/50 between players and school. Still plenty for the super conference schools to subsidize all their other team sports, instead of having to subsidize the Rutgers, Purdues and Indianas of the world.
9. With respect to the media- remember who our friends were and remember who were not our friends
10. Once we are in another conference, cease playing Ohio State and Michigan State at the very least. The other Big Ten teams? I don't know. Maybe after about a dozen years? If I'm still not too upset.
1. Get an immediate injunction so that Jim Harbaugh can coach the remainder of the season.
2. Commence legal proceedings against the Big Ten
3. Commence formulating a potential exit strategy from the Big Ten. This would include:
a) Assessment whether the Big Ten's actions would enable Michigan to get out of their grant of rights commitment prior to 2027. If so, move fast. The faster the better
b) Put out feelers to the SEC and ACC
c) Explore the possibility of forming a Super Conference with Notre Dame, possibly the Pac 10 schools that are bolting to the Big Ten (if they are not already locked in contractually when it comes to TV rights), and perhaps several others
d) Make clear that if Michigan was to remain in the Big Ten certain conditions would have to be met, including the dismissal of the current commissioner, removal of Delaney from the payroll, minimum 3-game suspensions for all head coaches whose teams engaged in advance in-person scouting asap (let those schools take their own legal measures to get their "due process"), a public apology from the Big Ten, and a renegotiation of the TV rights breakdown so that Michigan gets a percentage commensurate to the TV eyeballs it attracts.
d) Make sure that the Big Ten and general public is well aware of Michigan taking the above steps
4. Go to the Michigan state legislature and pull a "Tennessee". See what potential legislative action can be taken against the Big Ten and, possibly, the NCAA
5. Time to start dripping, and I mean big drips, all the information that Michigan has on every school in the Big Ten. No exceptions. Not all in one go. But in the next few weeks. Time it so it hurts most. Drip the Ohio State information the days before the Ohio State game
6. When we win the Big Ten title have Harbaugh accept the trophy and announce Michigan's plan to exit the Big Ten and that he has just signed a new long-term contract to remain at Michigan.
7. The cat is out of the bag. Michigan hires private investigators to clean up all the evidence they currently possess and get additional information that will suffice as proof of other schools violating various Big Ten and NCAA rules. When the evidence is gathered it should be leaked to the press and Michigan should insist to the Big Ten commissioner that he act IMMEDIATELY to suspend the repsctive head coaches. PIs should also start investigating for other rules-breaking activity at Big Ten schools. All of them. And leak that info to the press as soon as available. Finally, and most importantly, Ryan Day and Ohio State. If there is a nexus between Day and the private investigators that provided the info to the NCAA, we need to find it. The sooner the better. And once found, unleash hell on Ohio State. And, keep on investigating that school so long as we are in the Big Ten, as obviously such investigations are most welcome by this particular conference.
8. Create a new narrative: Spin this as the Big Ten and the other teams out to get Jim. Could be personal. Could also be his policy with respect to student-athletes being paid their fair share of the TV revenues. I suspect mostly the latter. THIS is the opportunity for Jim to take the lead on this issue. Instead of shutting him down he should become a voice for the athletes. In fact, Michigan should try and set up a super conference, break away from the NCAA, with the number one differentiator of this new conference being that the footabll players will be paid a fair share of the TV revenues. Get 8-10 elite programs to join in, great TV money-well over $140 million per school as there would be no laggards for the blue bloods to subsidize-and split the revenues 50/50 between players and school. Still plenty for the super conference schools to subsidize all their other team sports, instead of having to subsidize the Rutgers, Purdues and Indianas of the world.
9. With respect to the media- remember who our friends were and remember who were not our friends
10. Once we are in another conference, cease playing Ohio State and Michigan State at the very least. The other Big Ten teams? I don't know. Maybe after about a dozen years? If I'm still not too upset.
