Jim Harbaugh is so giddy over spending time in France that he let the secret out as to who was behind the money in sending the Michigan football program across the pond.
Speaking to the Detroit News in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower, the Wolverines eccentric head coach revealed that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick and The Graham Group founder Don Graham were the two people chiefly responsible for footing the nearly $800,000 bill the program is running up to take the team to Europe for the second year in a row.
“Two great Michigan guys, especially Bobby. They’re the best,” Harbaugh said. “Bobby doesn’t want anything said. He doesn’t want anybody to know that, but it’s a hard secret to keep.”
Harbaugh added that no plans are set for next year’s overseas trip but the two very generous alumni still could be involved again. The coach also told the News that potential options for the team to go to include somewhere in Africa, Athens, Barcelona and Cuba among others. This year’s jaunt across the Atlantic didn’t include practice time like it did in 2017 when Michigan went to Italy and presumably that is the case for future endeavors as well.
If Harbaugh really wanted to have an impact on college football through all these trips though, it might be to bend the ear of Kotick and tell him to make a new video game about the sport sometime soon instead of just writing a check to cover the travel expenses of his beloved Wolverines. That might be an even better legacy than a selfie under the Eiffel Tower.