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Desmond Howard is unsurprisingly unhappy with the Big Ten Conference.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up on Friday morning, the former Heisman Trophy winner ripped the Big Ten over possible punishment for Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines program amid the sign-stealing scandal.
Howard accused the Big Ten of being “emotional” over backlash from the media and said that punishment would never fly in the SEC for one of its prominent head coaches like Nick Saban.
Desmond Howard, unsurprisingly, is upset about potential discipline coming soon for Jim Harbaugh and Michigan from the Big Ten.
"You know Greg this would never happen in the SEC. Are you telling me they would do this to Nick Saban and Alabama? Hell no!" pic.twitter.com/FfKMbDMLVL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 10, 2023
“What Michigan is asking for seems to be fair when they ask for due process,” Howard said. “What has happened in this whole scenario, this whole narrative, Greeny, is that because the coverage has been so intense, it’s created this groundswell of emotion. And because of this groundswell of emotion, that’s what it seems (Tony) Petitti is responding to.
“Due process is in place so you don’t act emotionally. You let the facts come out and you let the process work through everything it’s supposed to in gathering facts and information. That’s all Michigan is asking for. It seems like the groundswell of emotion wants the Big Ten to circumvent what’s going on with the NCAA.”
Howard added, “And I tell you what, Greeny, and Paul (Finebaum) knows this too; this would never happen in the SEC.
“The SEC Commissioner would never, ever let Vanderbilt and Kentucky and all these other universities say, ‘Hey, you need to punish Nick Saban and Alabama right now. We know they’re on a quest to win the national championship but to hell with that. You need to punish them right now.’ He would kick them out of his office. That would never happen. It’s just a lot of money at stake too, Greeny, you got to understand that. It’s like $6 million per team.”
There have been reports that Harbaugh could face punishment from the Big Ten as early as today as the Wolverines prepare to make the trip to State College for a meeting with the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday.
So who knows what Howard will have to say on Saturday morning during College GameDay if the punishment goes through.
