On Thursday morning, Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel released the 10-page letter that the University of Michigan sent to the Big Ten in response to the sportsmanship investigation centering around the school's football program.

The letter was sent to Chad Hawley the Senior Vice President, Policy and Compliance at the Big Ten Conference.

The letter included three main points:

I. "Disciplinary action at this stage is procedurally improper"

II. "The Commissioner lacks authority to punish Coach Harbaugh under the sportsmanship policy"

III. "Disciplinary action at this time would be highly disproportionate given the broader regulatory context of the case"

Written at the beginning of point II is Michigan's explanation of why Commissioner Tony Petitti has no authority to punish Coach Harbaugh:

"The Commissioner also lacks authority under Agreement 10 to punish Coach Harbaugh. Imposing disciplinary action would be a clear breach of the Handbook.

The Sportsmanship Policy authorizes the Commissioner to impose disciplinary action on only two, specifically delineated categories of respondents: First, the Commissioner may 'hold individually accountable' a person associated with an institution 'if [that person is] found to have committed an offensive action.' Agreement 10.1.1 (emphasis added). Second, the Commissioner may 'hold accountable' an 'institution' that is 'responsible for' the person who committed an offensive action. Id:

That's it. Coach Harbaugh fits in neither category. He is not an 'institution' as defined by the Handbook, and there is no reasonable view of either the language of Agreement 10 or the known facts that suggest that Coach Harbaugh himself 'committed an offensive action.' The Commissioner therefore lacks any authority under the Sportsmanship Policy to impose disciplinary action upon Coach Harbaugh."

Michigan will now await a potential decision from the Big Ten. Meanwhile, Harbaugh and Michigan are preparing for a top-10 matchup on Saturday against Penn State in Happy Valley.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram