Paul Finebaum rips Jim Harbaugh for lighthearted 'Ted Lasso' joke amid suspension

Jim Harbaugh isn’t one to shy away from a joke or two during a press conference, even with all the drama surrounding Michigan at the moment.

Coming off of a 31-24 win over Maryland, and the firing of assistant coach Chris Partridge, Harbaugh took the stand and referenced Ted Lasso on Monday, which had the media buzzing.

“I go back to that — it’s like the Ted Lasso show. You know, believe. What comes out of that is believe. I’m just so proud, I’m just so proud of our team. Despite all the outside noise, our locker room’s in one piece. Like Ted for me, my locker rooms, a lot like my mom’s bathing suits; like to see them in one piece,” Harbaugh said.

We all know Paul Finebaum isn’t too fond of the way Harbaugh has handled Michigan’s ongoing drama, and now the Wolverines coach might have ruined Ted Lasso for the SEC Network analyst.

On Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, Finebaum took issue with Harbaugh’s comedic timing. He believes it’s in poor taste, especially with the month the Wolverines have had.

“Weren’t we sitting here a week ago and Jim Harbaugh was talking about, ‘I can’t wait to get to that hearing so I can be heard, I can finally have my side of the story,’ and that’s the best he can come up with? Quoting a make believe character from television? I mean, I’m kind of stunned really, that that’s all Jim Harbaugh can do,” Finebaum emphasized. “I’ll say the adjective because I think we’ve used them all up, but it’s just fairly disappointing.

“He had an opportunity to address all the bad news that happened last week. What was that? His school caved in to the Big Ten. The school fired a coach. Speculation that he may not even coach next year. And he quotes Ted Lasso. Brilliant.”

Alas, Harbaugh’s quote continues to prove Michigan thinks of themselves as martyrs, not victims, and that’s what Finebaum has an issue with.

From interim head coach Sherrone Moore‘s emotional postgame interview after their win over the Nittany Lions to their players sporting ‘Michigan vs. Everybody’ and ‘Free Harbaugh’ apparel before games, the Wolverines have seemed to accept their role as college football’s most talked about team even if the narrative is negative. 

It’ll continue to irk Paul Finebaum, but if it leads to a win for the Wolverines in The Game on Saturday, it’ll all be worth it for Michigan.