On Friday, the Big Ten suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season as the league disciplines the program under its sportsmanship policy amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the school’s alleged in-person sign-stealing ring. The conference found Michigan “engaged in impermissible, widespread in-person advanced scouting operations that violated NCAA rules and provided an unfair competitive advantage,” according to a 13-page letter from commissioner Tony Petitti. The conference also imposed sanctions against the university, including a ban on using electronic equipment in practice to discern opponents’ signs. Harbaugh and the university filed an emergency ex parte motion for a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County Trial Court on Friday, listing themselves as plaintiffs and requesting a judge stop a disciplinary decision from taking effect Saturday.

Michigan’s lawyers argue that the Big Ten acted outside of its procedures by not waiting for schools to respond to its request to comment on the allegations before releasing its report and acting almost immediately. They say the league also rushed to punish Michigan’s Nov. 25 game with No. 10 Penn State, which would leave the team without its head coach for one of its most important games of the year.

It’s not unusual for schools to take legal action against their conferences, and there is precedent for the court to grant a temporary restraining order before it makes a final ruling on a case. Eight Nebraska football players in 2020 won a temporary restraining order against the conference’s postponement of their season, and a former Memphis basketball player won an injunction against his suspension in 2019.

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The university says it has cooperated fully with the NCAA investigation. Michigan says it did not know about or participate in the scouting scheme by former analyst Connor Stalions. That, to its knowledge, no other staff members were involved in illegally obtaining opponents’ signals. The Wolverines are undefeated and are the odds-on favorite to win the national championship.

While the Big Ten’s handbook states that the conference should defer to the NCAA before imposing additional penalties, Michigan says it should have been able to defend itself with the same diligence as any other member. They also argue that the conference’s disciplinary action “disregards basic tenets of due process and sets an untenable precedent for assessing penalties before an investigative proceeding is completed.”

Petitti said in his letter that while the university will be banned from bringing coaches to sideline visits for the rest of the season, it may continue to have them attend practice with the team. The Wolverines play No. 10 Penn State on Saturday, and Harbaugh could be back on the sidelines for that game. Until then, he will be at the team’s headquarters in Ann Arbor and on video calls from his home to watch his team. The conference will decide whether to appeal its decision to the NCAA’s joint group executive committee next month.