Jim Harbaugh: Michigan Wolverines Family Not Happy With Alumni Stephen Ross

Jim Harbaugh is a hot commodity.

Recent reports by ESPN claim that Stephen Ross, owner of the Miami Dolphins, has flown to the west coast to make a last ditch effort to get the current Stanford Cardinal coach to take his talents to South Beach.

The Michigan family is not happy.

Sources close to the situation believe that Stephen Ross isn't just poaching Harbaugh from Stanford, or from the San Francisco 49ers. Rather, that Ross talked with Harbaugh on the night of the Orange Bowl and convinced him that he could create an opening on the Miami sidelines and outbid any other overtures.

Now, the source wasn't sure that such a conversation took place, and wasn't willing to provide names of other boosters who shared his beliefs, but he was willing to say that many within the Michigan family are very upset with Ross over this exchange.

Michigan athletic director, David Brandon has made it clear that he, personally, does not hold any ill will toward Ross.

ESPN reported that Brandon gave his "blessing" to Ross before the Michigan alumni went after Harbaugh.

Of course he did.

How could Brandon say no to Ross?

In many ways, Ross helps pay Brandon's salary and was long a supporter of Brandon being the AD.

Again, the sentiment is shared within the Michigan inner circle that Brandon believed Ross would get Harbaugh whether he "blessed" the arrangement or not. Michigan couldn't afford neither a bidding war over Harbaugh nor losing Ross as a supporter.

Brandon, caught between a rock and a hard place, needed to give Ross his blessing.

Brandon, at the moment, is not exactly a favorite of the boosters either. His handling of the Rich Rodriguez firing was measured and exact, but not quick enough for some. The feeling among many is that Brandon's desire to be a businessman is superseding his desire to run a football program. 

Keeping Ross as a booster was a financial decision, but many feel losing Harbaugh to the Dolphins could hamstring the football operations.

Jim Harbaugh is almost assured to be leaving Stanford University and is set to become one of the highest coaches in the game of football, college or pro.

It has been speculated that Michigan was once willing to pay Harbaugh a sizable chunk of change to be Michigan's next coach, but no amount was going to top Ross who is worth billions of dollars.

Michigan has stepped out of the bidding war and it might have been for all the wrong reasons.

Brandon can live with the decision, can his one-time supporters?

No matter what the future holds for Michigan, it is clear that Brandon has a lot of crisis management to do within his own base before he does anything else. 

Michael Schottey is the Managing Editor of the Bleacher Report College Writing Internship and is an NFL Featured Columnist. He has covered football professionally for both print and radio. Follow him on Twitter @ Schottey.