Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh Gets Visit From Ric Flair Amid Investigation

Michigan Wolverines head football coach Jim Harbaugh opened his Monday press conference with news of a visit from an old friend that added a bit of ironic humor to severe accusations against Harbaugh and his program.

Ric Flair, arguably one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, visited Harbaugh on Monday at the team facility. Flair is recognized as a 16-time world champion, with titles scattered across several federations, including WWE, NWA and WCW, over his decades-long career. Flair was known for being willing to win by any means necessary, giving him the moniker "Dirtiest Player in the Game."

Flair's exploits and larger-than-life persona make him a favorite among athletes and he spent time with Harbaugh often over the years.

Harbaugh had Flair give a speech to his San Francisco 49ers team when he was head coach before the 2014 NFC Championship victory against the Green Bay Packers. Flair has also visited Michigan's satellite football camps.

Flair's latest visit with Harbaugh comes as the 9-0 Wolverines are being investigated over alleged sign-stealing via illicit in-person scouting.

"Big-game atmosphere in Schembechler Hall. Ton of enthusiasm and excitement," Harbaugh told reporters during his Monday press conference. "My energy level was already sky-high, but then got a visit from the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, a very close friend. That just brought the enthusiasm to a new level."

Harbaugh told reporters he met Flair in 1989 when Harbaugh was the Chicago Bears quarterback. His teammate fullback Brad Muster got some tickets to a wrestling show that came with backstage passes. Harbaugh and Flair have been friends ever since.

"Brad Muster was a huge fan of the Nature Boy and wrestling and said 'Hey, there's a show,'" Harbaugh told reporters. "'Yeah, heck yeah, let's go!' So, we went. First time I've ever been backstage for anything. A fight, a concert, wrestling. His infectious personality, instant friends. The cool part was they said, 'Grab a towel. You and Brad are on the hype squad.' Remember going out and cheering for Ric. Been to many of his shows and competitions and he's one of a kind. The best."

Michigan faces its toughest opponent thus far when the Wolverines travel to Beaver Stadium for a contest against Penn State. Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin did his best to keep the focus on the game rather than the sign-stealing accusations against Michigan.

"I know these questions are gonna come this week," Franklin told reporters during his Monday press conference. "I'm gonna focus on the things that we can control. We always have to have a plan. I think I've already covered this and talked about this in terms of what we do and how we communicate to our players and how we communicate to our team during games. But I'm gonna leave it at that because less is more."

Michigan is favored by 4.5 points against the Nittany Lions, with the over/under at 44.5, according to Monday's odds on BetMGM Sportsbook.