Um ... never mind

 Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You mean the SS Persecution Complex has sprung a leak?

What about all the denials? What about all the brave, defiant, Michigan vs. Everybody words? What about James Harbaugh Esq. declaring the Michigan Spyverines to be America's Team, because, my God, look at how we're being picked on, lied about, denied due process.

And while we're at it, what about due process?

Apparently that's not a thing anymore Ann Arbor.

Apparently, playing the martyr only works if, you know, you didn't do it. Because yesterday, suddenly, Michigan said, um, never mind. Coach Jimmy will go ahead and serve the rest of his suspension by the Big Ten. In return, the conference will close its investigation into Harbaugh and Michigan's "alleged' spying operation..

I don't know what you conclude from that. But what I conclude is what I concluded a long time ago, which is Harbaugh and the Spyverines got caught red-handed doing what they shouldn't oughta have been doing.

I suspect they got a look at what the Big Ten had on them (and what the NCAA continues to collect) and thought, "Uh-oh." And then thought it probably wouldn't go well for them if they took the conference to court the way they planned.

What's been amazing about all this is how many folks -- and not just the maize-and-blue bleeders -- bought into UM's blameless victim act. Even major media goobers were willing to believe Harbaugh knew absolutely nothing about a guy on his staff flying around the country filming and advance scouting future opponents.

Which, whether or not it should be, is illegal.

Anyway, you could conclude only one of two things, neither of them flattering to Harbaugh. Either he really did know what was going on -- and no one with a working brain cell could possibly believe otherwise -- or he was a complete idiot. Because if he didn't know, how could he have been so oblivious? Especially when the staffer in question was at his elbow or the elbow of his coordinators during Michigan games?

A blatant cheater or an utter incompetent. Those are your choices here.

Me, I think either one would make a decent university think twice about continuing to employ the guy. Because as someone once said, if it's your program, you're responsible for everything that goes on in it.

Know who that was?

Bo Schembechler.