JIm Harbaugh might not be around to face the music from the Nebraska football program and other Big Ten programs anymore, but it’s clear that there are a number of people who aren’t letting the fact that he left Michigan to go to the NFL stop them from taking shots at the head coach. In fact, it stands to reason, him being gone is allowing some people to take some shots.
It all started when Illinois football head coach Bret Bielema quoted an old tweet where his old Big Ten rival was saying that “if you cheat to win, you’ve already lost.” The Illini head man captioned the quote tweet with “Really…. Why did you leave? Was looking forward to playing but understand why you ran to the NFL.”
That the Nebraska football rivals are sniping at former members of the Big Ten is fun and interesting, but it leveled up when ESPN’s Paul Finebaum joined the fun.
Really…. Why did you leave?
— Bret Bielema (@BretBielema) January 29, 2025
Was looking forward to playing but understand why you ran to the #NFL
See you in the future and can’t wait #famILLy #ILL https://t.co/4y7C5ecvUA
Nebraska football rival taking shots from all sides
Talking about Bielema’s shot at Harbaugh, the ESPN personality didn’t hold back.
“I’ve always liked Bret,” Finebaum said on The Paul Finebaum Show Wednesday. “He was fun when we were together. But he [Bielema] is right. Harbaugh is just a disingenuous fraud about all the things he used to say. He didn’t want to face the music. By the way, Michigan didn’t really want him to stay.”
These attacks come one day after Michigan signaled it was going to fight the NCAA over the allegations that it had engaged in a level of cheating that hasn’t been seen before on the college level.
It’s pretty clear that in this fight against the organization, isn’t going to be supported by Nebraska football or any of Jim Harbaugh’s old rivals.