On Wednesday afternoon, eleven members of the Michigan House and Senate, both Democratic and Republican, reached out to Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to urge the commissioner to avoid punishing Jim Harbaugh or the football program until the investigation into the sign-stealing allegations are complete.

Per the release, "state Reps. Phil Skaggs and Graham Filler, along with nine other members of the Michigan House and Senate... sent a letter to Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti urging the conference to ensure the University of Michigan receives a fair, unbiased investigation into allegations of rule-breaking by members of the University of Michigan football staff, and that no punishment be placed on the university until the investigation is complete."

Petitti, who recently met with the head coaches of the 13 other Big Ten programs beside Michigan in a video call, was rumored to be in the process of considering levying a suspension upon Harbaugh prior to Saturday's game against Penn State in Happy Valley.

However, the eleven Michigan state Reps. are strongly urging Petitti to reconsider and wait until all of the facts are laid out.

"It’s absolutely vital that members of the Big Ten Conference receive due process in any investigation, especially those that may have been initiated by allegations from parties with clear conflicts of interest,” Skaggs said. “We must not punish the dedicated players, coaches and staff of the University of Michigan football program based on incomplete evidence.”

“We know that college football is a topic charged with emotions on all sides. What’s important here is to let the facts determine the outcome of this investigation,” said Filler, co-founder of the Big Ten athletics blog “Off-Tackle Empire.”

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