Jim Harbaugh will be coaching for his first national championship at Michigan on Monday. The College Football Playoff title game against Washington could also be his last with the Wolverines.

After a regular season filled with controversy surrounding Michigan’s sign-stealing case and rumors of its head coach returning to the NFL, a (somewhat) recent move is adding fuel to the fire. Harbaugh hired a new agent, Don Yee, who is best known for repping NFL clients like Tom Brady and Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, according to ESPN. 

While the ESPN report came out Sunday, several Michigan-centric reporters have claimed that Yee was hired weeks or even months ago, and may have already been working on Harbaugh’s next deal, in college or the NFL.

A potential contract extension for Harbaugh at Michigan has been a topic of discussion this season. Most recently, Michigan reportedly offered Harbaugh a 10-year, $125 million deal (with a clause preventing him from taking an NFL job in 2024). By any measure, that would be the biggest contract in college football. Last year, Yee helped Payton come out of retirement to sign with Denver for a five-year deal that is said to be worth nearly $100 million.

Looming Issues

Michigan suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of this season for recruiting violations, and then the Big Ten suspended him for the final three games of the regular season for his role in an alleged sign-stealing controversy.

In October, NFL.com reported that the league may suspend Harbaugh if he were to accept an NFL job and he was found to have violated NCAA rules any further. The NCAA has informed Harbaugh of the charges that could result in an additional suspension in 2024. Harbaugh hasn’t commented on the NFL rumors, saying he is focused on the playoff.

Potential punishment is still looming for Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, who was shown on video appearing to toss a drink toward a Jacksonville Jaguars fan on Sunday. Tepper was sitting in a suite at EverBank Stadium, where the Panthers lost 26-0 to the Jaguars. 

Since the video emerged on social media Sunday evening, the NFL acknowledged that it was aware of the incident but has provided no further comment. The Panthers have not commented, either. 

A monetary fine could certainly be on the table for Tepper. In 2009, late Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 by the league for making an obscene gesture toward a fan. There is no precedent for a team owner throwing a drink at a fan, but some fans have been banned for life from NFL stadiums for similar acts.

Tough Tenure

Regardless of any ensuing punishment, the situation is the latest black eye for Tepper, the billionaire hedge fund manager who purchased the Panthers in 2018 but hasn’t seen a winning season during his tenure. Tepper fired first-year head coach Frank Reich after 11 games this season. Between the Panthers and Charlotte FC (which joined MLS in 2022, three years after Tepper was awarded the expansion franchise), Tepper has fired five head coaches. The Panthers will finish with the worst record in the NFL this season, but the Chicago Bears own their draft pick, which will be first overall, thanks to the trade for last year’s No. 1 pick, which Carolina used on QB Bryce Young.

Panthers players and coaches will have their standard media availability on Wednesday. Carolina plays its season finale on Sunday at home, where Tepper usually attends games, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The ongoing rise of women’s sports has hit another breakthrough moment with this week’s on-ice debut of the Professional Women’s Hockey League.

Borne out of the 2023 merger of the former Premier Hockey Federation and Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association, the six-team PWHL is looking for a similar type of cultural and business impact as has been achieved in the past year by the WNBA and NWSL. Early indications show that the PWHL is on its way.

The league’s first-ever game was held Monday at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Center, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, drawing a sellout crowd of 2,537, and the PWHL’s Toronto franchise has already sold out its entire season-ticket allotment for its 2024 home schedule. Sellouts are also expected for the initial games in Ottawa and Montreal, and the lower bowl of the Minnesota Wild’s Xcel Energy Center is expected to be filled for the home debut Saturday of the PWHL’s Minnesota franchise. 

Ottawa in particular is expected to set a new global attendance record for women’s pro hockey for its home opener Tuesday with an anticipated crowd of more than 8,000, though that record may not last long if the league continues to gain traction.

Historical Impact

That first PWHL game in Toronto began with a clear nod to history with women’s sports trailblazer and icon Billie Jean King leading a ceremonial faceoff. King also has a seat on the PWHL board of directors. 

“I’ve been part of world championships, club championships, Olympic Games, and there was probably more emotion surrounding this one than any of those gold medal games,” Toronto coach Troy Ryan told Reuters. “There’s so much riding on this situation, it is such a long time coming, and so many people fought for the opportunity.”

The league is receiving logistical and operational—but not financial—support from the NHL. Mark Walter, lead owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and an investor in several other teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers, is the primary backer for the PWHL. 

Also aiding the PWHL are a series of newly completed media deals with MSG Networks, NESN, and Bally Sports North in the U.S.; and with CBC/Radio-Canada, TSN and RDS, and SportsNet in Canada. The American pacts are regionally focused on the New York, Boston, and Minneapolis markets, while the Canadian deals are national-level agreements.