Jim Harbaugh again calls for representation for players in NCAA: 'They know my number'

There are very few coaches who have advocated as loudly as Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh for better athlete representation within the NCAA. That’s something that continued following the title game win.

This came when Harbaugh was asked if he’d be willing to use his voice in the sport to meet with the NCAA and figures like President Charlie Baker to discuss representation for players, including a possible union.

“Yeah, anybody. I think they know my number,” Jim Harbaugh said to laughter. “But definitely, Debbie Dingell, talking to many. Fred Upton has had a lot of interest in it. And just friends, just trying to form people to talk about this and really just get on the side of the players. Coaches, hopefully, they’ll use their voice. More people. Just more. It’s one thing we know. We need more for this cause.”

This comes as college football is going through numerous changes. That includes the Transfer Portal, NIL, and conference realignment among other things. It’s a time when many people want to stabilize the sport and a player’s union would be another major change.

Even with that, Jim Harbaugh still thinks that if he could change one thing, he’d allow revenue sharing with the athletes.

“The thing I would change about college football is to let the talent share in the ever-increasing revenues. We’re all robbing the same train. And the ones that are in the position to do the heavy lifting, the ones that risk life and limb out there on the football field are the players,” Harbaugh said. “And not just football players, student-athletes. The organizations are fighting hard to keep all the money – the universities, the NCAA, the conferences. And it’s long past time to let the student-athletes share in the ever-increasing revenues. I mean, it’s billions. I keep reading facts about how much money is being made. I mean, product placement. I can’t have a can of a different kind of soda up here. I have to put it into a cup here.”

At that point, Jim Harbaugh earned some more laughter from the room. He, however, was just getting into his argument in favor of revenue sharing and better representation for those athletes, though.

“I mean, everybody, they’re maximizing every single revenue source there is, but they’re not sharing it with the talent. There’s no business that that would ever fly. I mean, the Supreme Court has said the same thing. So, yeah, that’s a big one. I would change that one,” Harbaugh said.

“And there needs to be a voice for the young people, the student-athletes. Right now there is no voice. I mean, there are armies of attorneys, and I’ve seen them at the NCAA, I’ve seen them at the universities, the conferences. And then if they don’t have enough firepower legally, they go out, hire the tall-building law firms and they get more firepower. But there’s no voice for the student-athletes right now, and it just needs to change. That’s a wrong that needs to be righted. Starting to compile a list of just the excuses that people give for not – it’s complicated. What about this? What about that?”

In 2022, the Big Ten announced a groundbreaking media deal worth $7 billion between 2023 and the 2029-30 academic year. For his own part, Jim Harbaugh was reportedly offered a 10-year contract extension worth $125 million ahead of the College Football Playoff.

Harbaugh recognized how massive these numbers are and argued that some of that money should go back to the players.

“All I know is there’s plenty there. There’s some – I have simple math. Anybody that’s profiting off the student-athletes, me included; anybody who is drawing a salary, making a livelihood, a lot of people sitting here robbing the same train as well that it could take 5 to 10 percent less of what they’re getting. Every organization, universities, a lot of them are collecting money tax-free. At least if you give it to these guys and it will go back to the economy through taxes. The NCAA, conference commissioner, Big Ten office, all the conferences, 5 to 10 percent into a pool, that’s one way,” Harbaugh said.

“And things happened fast this year. You saw it. People say it’s complicated or it takes time. We saw a lot of change in one year, just this year. A whole conference went into the portal overnight. These things could happen. Hopefully, there will be some real – I mean, for a long time people say that unionizing would be bad. If people aren’t going to do it – if they’re not going to do it out of their own goodwill and do what’s right, that’s probably the next step.”

Ultimately, Jim Harbaugh concluded by calling for unions to come to college athletics.

“I have nothing against unions. That’s the next step, fellas. I think that’s the way you’ve gotta go. That’s what I’d like to see change in college athletics.”

Jim Harbaugh on the feeling of winning a national championship

Immediately following the national championship win and while confetti was still falling, Jim Harbaugh shared his feelings on winning the title.

“It’s such a glorious feeling. Really don’t have any more words than that. Maybe to quote JJ McCarthy ‘Bet.’ You watch this confetti come down, it’s 1,000s of confetti,” Harbaugh said. “It tells a story. There is a story in every one of those pieces of confetti. Maize and Blue confetti. Just so proud of our team.”