Jim Harbaugh, the University of Michigan’s football coach, has drawn criticism for remarks he made at an anti-abortion event over the weekend.
Harbaugh spoke on stage at an event by Acts XXIX, which is a Catholic organization designed to support clergy, saying he believed courage was necessary to stand for one’s beliefs, according to the Detroit Catholic.
“I believe in having the courage to let the unborn be born,” Harbaugh said, according to the Detroit Catholic. “I love life. I believe in having a loving care and respect for life and death. My faith and my science are what drives these beliefs in me.”
Harbaugh’s comments were not well received by others in his industry, including Former ESPN anchor Jemele Hill who now contributes to The Atlantic.
“This might be a difficult concept for Jim Harbaugh or any anti-choice person to grasp … but if you don’t want an abortion, just don’t get one. Not that hard,” Hill said.
This might be a difficult concept for Jim Harbaugh of any anti-choice person to grasp … but if you don’t want an abortion, just don’t get one. Not that hard.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) July 19, 2022
Clay Travis, the founder of Outkick also commented on Harbaugh’s comments in a video saying that the reactions to Harbaugh’s beliefs were likely to be different than the response to other famous athletes.
“The same sports media that always argues, ‘Hey, we want everybody to share their political beliefs — speak out as much as you want,’ is going to absolutely rip Jim Harbaugh to shreds because he has a different opinion than they do on abortion,” Travis said.
“The woke sports media is going to absolutely rip #JimHarbaugh to shreds because he has a different opinion than they do when it comes to abortion.” – @ClayTravis pic.twitter.com/o5tOwA3xbG
— OutKick (@Outkick) July 20, 2022
This isn’t the U-M coach’s first foray into political analysis, however. During his time in Ann Arbor in 2016, Harbaugh said he didn’t “respect the motivation or action” of Colin Kaepernick when he knelt to the National Anthem, according to Bleacher Report.
And in 2020 the football coach spoke against the death of George Floyd, a black man who was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Harbaugh didn’t hold back during his recent comments about the sanctity of human life to the Catholic organization:
“In God’s plan, each unborn human truly has a future filled with potential, talent, dreams and love,” Harbaugh said.
The football coach went on to say, “I have living proof in my family, my children, and the many thousands that I’ve coached that the unborn are amazing gifts from God to make this world a better place. To me, the right choice is to have the courage to let the unborn be born.”