Harbaugh’s comments not aligning with AD’s contract talk

By John TaylorDec 24, 2010, 5:22 PM EST

For the second straight year, Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby has been forced to deal with rumors attaching Jim Harbaugh‘s name to various vacancies. Or, to potential vacancies as the case may be.

Earlier this month, Bowlsby stated that the school has “a proposal in front of Jim and he’s indicated he plans to accept it.”

Apparently, somebody failed to inform Harbaugh of the latter part of the equation. And the former part as well.

After telling Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News “I haven’t even discussed” the contract with his boss, Harbaugh was told about Bowlsby’s comments that the coach plans to accept it.

“Maybe he misspoke,” Harbaugh said.

(Is it getting chilly in here or is it just me?)

In the weeks since the end of the regular season, Harbaugh has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Urban Meyer at Florida and Randy Shannon at Miami. The real worries for Bowlsby and Cardinal Nation, however, come from both Ann Arbor and the NFL. As an alum, Harbaugh is at the very tip of everyone’s tongue when it comes to potential replacements for Rich Rodriguez if/when he’s fired by Michigan/resigns to pursue a karaoke career after the Wolverines’ bowl game. There are also some people who feel that Harbaugh prefers the NFL and that will be his next destination if he decides to leave The Farm.

Harbaugh’s brother, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, said recently that his brother is happy at Stanford, “he’d love to stay there, but then again, you just have to see what happens” when it comes to potential opportunities down the road.

Stanford, obviously, realizes that. And, Wilner reports, the school is sweetening its financial pot in an effort to keep him in the fold.

According to Wilner, and citing sources close to the university’s powerbrokers, the offer on the table to Harbaugh is worth approximately $3 million per year and includes substantial amounts of deferred compensation and housing assistance.

Would that be enough to keep their outstanding head coach if Michigan or the NFL came calling? It sure wouldn’t hurt, of course. Then again, a school like Michigan has the financial means and could afford to trump anything the Cardinal has to offer monetarily.

Harbaugh’s going to get paid regardless; it’s simply a matter of where he’ll be sending his state taxes to for the foreseeable future.

Utah State player upgraded to fair condition after collapse

Associated PressMar 25, 2023, 1:50 AM EDT

Stephen Lew/Getty Images

Utah State redshirt freshman wide receiver Josh Davis is in fair condition on Friday, one day after collapsing at spring football practice following sudden cardiac arrest, the university announced.

Davis, initially was listed in critical condition, was breathing on his own. He is in the intensive-care unit at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, Utah.

Davis’ parents arrived in Utah on Thursday evening.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Davis, who is from Carlsbad, California, collapsed at Merlin Olsen Field and was immediately treated by the training staff, the university said. He was taken to Logan Regional Hospital.

The university said Davis was stabilized in the Logan hospital before being moved to Ogden.

Alabama suspends freshman defensive back after drug arrest

Associated PressMar 20, 2023, 10:32 PM EDT

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama freshman defensive back Tony Mitchell has been suspended from the team following his arrest on a drug charge.

Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said Monday after the first practice of spring that Mitchell was suspended from the team “and all team activities until we gather more information about the situation and what his legal circumstance is.”

The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office arrested Mitchell and another man, Christophere Lewis, last week on a charge of possession of marijuana with the intent to sell or deliver, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Lewis also was charged with carrying a concealed gun without a permit.

“Everybody’s got an opportunity to make choices and decisions,” Saban said. “There’s no such thing as being in the wrong place at the wrong time. You’ve gotta be responsible for who you’re with, who you’re around and what you do, who you associate yourself with and the situations that you put yourself in. It is what it is, but there is cause and effect when you make choices and decisions that put you in bad situations.”

Mitchell, who is from Alabaster, Alabama, was a five-star prospect rated the 34th-best player and No. 3 safety in the 247Composite rankings.

Mitchell was driving the vehicle during a traffic stop. After deputies smelled marijuana, Mitchell picked up a baggie of marijuana from the passenger floorboard, according to the department’s Facebook post.

Sheriff’s deputies found “an additional significant amount of marijuana, a set of scales, a loaded handgun between the passenger seat and center console, and a large amount of cash,” according to the department’s Facebook post.