Ravens coach John Harbaugh on Tuesday provided an impassioned defense of his brother, Jim Harbaugh, amid Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal.

When asked for his opinion on Jim Harbaugh’s suspension by the Big Ten Conference, John Harbaugh said four times he was “proud” of his brother for how he’s “handled himself through all this.”

Jim Harbaugh was suspended three games Friday — the rest of the No. 3-ranked Wolverines’ regular season — for a sign-stealing scheme that is also under investigation by the NCAA. In his ninth season at Michigan, Jim Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of illegal scouting within his program.

John Harbaugh, 15 months Jim Harbaugh’s senior, said his brother has “come through this thing with flying colors” and that the Big Ten and NCAA “don’t have anything of substance.”

“I’m proud as heck of him,” John Harbaugh said. “I’m really impressed with the way he’s handled himself through all this. I mean, it’s been a long run and everything can be done — you know, his phones and his computers and all this stuff has been looked at, and he’s come through this thing with flying colors.”

The Big Ten said the Wolverines violated the conference’s sportsmanship policy through the program’s “impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years” that gave Michigan “an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.” In a letter sent to Michigan, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said the conference did not have evidence that Jim Harbaugh was aware of the scheme and that the sanction was of the university, not its football coach.

“I don’t know what they tried to get, but they don’t have anything of substance,” said John Harbaugh, whose Ravens defeated his brother’s San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013. “And I just think I’m proud of him. I think it’s a real compliment to our family and to him, something for us to be proud of. And his kids can see this. You get in this kind of situation where you come under fire for whatever reasons and you come out in a really good place doing the right thing all the time. And I’m really proud of that, and I think it’s great for a family, kids and it’s just a great blessing in that sense.

“He’s a great man, he’s a great coach, his players love him, his coaches love him, and he stands tall through all this.”

Jim Harbaugh’s suspension allows him to coach the team during the week, but he isn’t allowed on the sidelines through the regular season. The undefeated Wolverines defeated No. 12 Penn State on the road Saturday afternoon. They travel to College Park this Saturday to play the Terps, and whether Jim Harbaugh will be allowed to coach the game or not remains unknown. Michigan filed for a temporary restraining order, and Harbaugh’s hearing before the judge is scheduled for Friday.

“I’m just looking for that opportunity, due process,” Jim Harbaugh said during his weekly news conference. “I’m not looking for special treatment. I’m not looking for a popularity contest. I’m just looking for the merit for what the case is.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

()

General manager Chris Getz gave a frank assessment of the Chicago White Sox in the aftermath of a 101-loss season.

“We have a talented group, there is no question,” Getz said Tuesday during the MLB general managers meetings at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz. “I don’t like our team, and we have to make some adjustments to improve in 2024.

“When I say ‘I don’t like our team,’ we’ve got pieces that are talented and attractive and they can be part of a winning club, but obviously we haven’t gone out there and performed. It’s not a well-rounded club right now and so we’ve got to find players to come in here and help get us in the right direction.”

Manager Pedro Grifol echoed Getz’s sentiments during a video conference call Tuesday.

“When we talk about team, it’s not about one guy or two or five, it’s about 26 guys really loving to play with each other when that bell rings, and we didn’t have that,” Grifol said. “It’s our responsibility, and my responsibility, once we put the roster together, to make sure that chemistry is where it needs to be every time we step on the field.”

Getz reiterated a point he made at his introductory news conference as the team’s GM on Aug. 31, saying there weren’t any untouchables.

“If we feel like we can multiply or strengthen our group both presently and in the future, then we’re going to look at that,” Getz said.

Getz did note, when asked if ‘no untouchables’ applied to Luis Robert Jr., that the All-Star center fielder “is a guy you build around.”

There’s plenty of building to do. The Sox have questions at second base, shortstop, right field, catching and with their rotation and bullpen.

“We’re looking for players that understand what it takes to be on a winning ballclub,” Getz said. “That starts with their approach on a day-to-day basis, being in the right place at the right time, on the field and more or less being baseball players going out there and working together, competing.”

Here are three Sox takeaways from the GM meetings.

1. Defense is a priority.

The Sox were tied for 10th in the American League with 95 errors and tied for 11th with a .983 fielding percentage.

Getz said the team is “set out to really improve our defensive play, which will allow our pitchers to attack the zone and be more efficient.”

The Sox are aiming for steady defenders who have a knack for “making plays you are supposed to make,” Getz said.

“We made too many (defensive) mistakes through the years,” Getz said. “When certain plays aren’t being made, it’s a traumatic feeling for a team, it’s a traumatic feeling for pitchers.

“I really want to just settle back down so pitchers are comfortable attacking the zone and outs are made where they are supposed to be made.”

2. The Sox had a ‘heavy’ conversation when deciding to decline Liam Hendriks’ club option.

The Sox on Saturday decided to decline shortstop Tim Anderson’s club option for 2024. The day before, they took the same route with closer Liam Hendriks.

The reliever’s deal included a $15 million buyout that would be paid in 10 equal installments from 2024-33.

Hendriks appeared in five games in 2023 after an inspirational return from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He had season-ending Tommy John surgery in August, with 12 to 14 months as the timeline for coming back.

“That conversation was a heavy one, because of what he’s meant to this game, not only the White Sox,” Getz said. “But you talk about an open book, Liam is very much an open book and very easy to talk to, and he understood where we were coming from.

“And just like (Anderson), if there’s a situation that makes sense for both of us, we’d certainly welcome Liam back, as well.”

3. There were plenty of nuggets to fill a notebook.

Yoán Moncada has played 203 career games at second base.

Could the third baseman could see time at that position again?

“I think he is capable of playing different positions,” Getz said. “I think he’s a better third baseman than second baseman. That doesn’t mean there aren’t going to be perhaps games he goes over to second or plays first base and perhaps even the outfield. We’ll do what’s best for our club.”

While Moncada has never played first, Getz said, “He’s a very good athlete. And if that means we need to have Yoán be more versatile to help our lineup on a nightly basis, you do that.”

The Sox said former manager Tony La Russa is a senior adviser with the club.

“That type of experience is invaluable, not only in the team-building aspect with so many little pieces that go into a major league club, there is going to be mentoring with some of our minor-league coaches and our players as well,” Getz said. “He’s an asset. I’m going to take advantage of him.”

Look for the Sox to shift their international signing approach.

“We’re going to certainly attack things a little more strongly on the pitching front,” Getz said. “There are different ways to allocate international bonus money. We had a meeting last week with (special assistant to the general manager, international operations) Marco (Paddy) and everyone else in our front office and we’re putting together a strategy for the White Sox moving forward. But you can expect a different approach.”

()

Just two weeks ago, Keaton Mitchell’s NFL career was more possibility than reality.

Yes, the Ravens rookie running back had tantalized fans with Ferrari-grade acceleration during training camp and had made the team as an undrafted free agent. But he started the season on injured reserve and had touched the ball exactly once going into the Ravens’ Nov. 5 game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Nine carries and 138 yards later, his name was on the lips of every fantasy football manager in the country. If anything, Mitchell seemed more untouchable a week later against the Cleveland Browns, running away from the best defense in football to put the Ravens up 14-0 in the first quarter. He looked like a video game character whose speed had accidentally been set 25% higher than everyone else’s.

“I can’t call it; you’ve got to see it,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said, grasping for words to capture Mitchell’s burst. “Every time he touches the ball, it’s like he’s right in front of me and next thing you know, he’s in the end zone.”

After the rookie turned a short pass into a 32-yard gain to set up another score against Cleveland, anything seemed possible.

Mitchell touched the ball twice the rest of the game, setting off a firestorm among Ravens fans who wondered why this potent speedster sat on the sideline as a 15-point lead slipped away.

In two games, the soft-spoken 21-year-old moved himself from the fringes to the heart of Baltimore football discourse.

“I don’t really focus on things like that,” Mitchell said Tuesday. “I’m just here to do my job and make things happen when I get my chance.”

What about facing the two-time defending AFC North champion Cincinnati Bengals in prime time Thursday?

“I ain’t never really experienced nothing like this,” he said. “I don’t know how big this is supposed to be.”

In the next breath, Mitchell said it would be “just another game.”

Ravens fans and fantasy gurus will surely keep an eye on Mitchell’s usage given his fade from the game plan against the Browns.

Coach John Harbaugh acknowledged that the Ravens might have benefited from keeping the rookie more involved. “Looking back on it, would we have wanted him out there more? Yes,” he said Monday. “I think that’ll factor into this game plan. The way it got called [against Cleveland] — those plays weren’t the ones he was scheduled for.”

Why did offensive coordinator Todd Monken steer away from Mitchell’s hot hand while the Ravens averaged 3.4 yards per carry in the second half? The rookie had demonstrated he could run between the tackles against Seattle, and he’s also a threat to line up wide for a pass route or motion into a jet sweep.

“It’s a very good question,” Harbaugh said. “I think it’s something that’s probably … As you look back on it, [it’s] part of the process of getting a young guy in there and working him into the game plan as part of the process as we go. I don’t think we felt probably as an offensive coaching staff we were going to throw the whole game plan on him. Those are the plays that get called from the groupings that were called in the second half.”

While fans were happy to second guess the Ravens’ process, Mitchell showed little interest in stoking controversy.

“Hopefully, I can get in the game a little bit more,” he said. “Whatever happens, happens. If it comes my way, I’ll make the best of it.”

Spoken like a second-generation NFL player whose father, Anthony, helped the Ravens win their first Super Bowl.

“Just always be ready; you don’t ever not want to be ready when your name’s called,” he said, recounting the advice he received at home. “Things happen, but when my name’s called, I’m going to do my best.”

Harbaugh believes the sons of NFL players are unusually equipped to deal with the inevitable crests and dips of a football life.

“I think there really is an advantage,” he said of Mitchell. “He comes from a great family. He’s been raised so well, and he’s been raised in the football environment where he’s watched his dad. He’s proud of his dad. He’s seen the old clips of his dad with the Ravens. It’s very meaningful to him to be in the National Football League, to be here.”

Mitchell closed his college career with seven straight 100-yard rushing games, scoring a dozen touchdowns in that span, but East Carolina had little chance to take center stage playing in the American Athletic Conference. He then went undrafted as teams turned up their noses at his 4.37-second 40-yard dash time because they feared his 5-foot-8, 191-pound frame would not hold up to NFL pounding.

So this really is his first big bow on the national scene. “Just the social media aspect, you know everybody’s watching around the world,” he said. “You get attention all over the world, not just locally.”

He’s coping by keeping his life as simple as possible. When a hole opens, he knows what to do with it.

“If I get some space like that, I’m hoping for a touchdown,” he said. “I hope I don’t get caught. That’s the only thing. My friends are going to be on me, so I can’t get caught.”

()