FOR THE WIN

Jim Harbaugh explains political tweet: 'I’m allowed to be an American'

Michelle R. Martinelli
USA TODAY Sports

Especially compared with his peers, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is pretty active on Twitter - obviously mostly tweeting about the Wolverines.

But one post from last month stands out among the coach's near-daily tweets.

"I hope reports that White House trying to defund Legal Services Corp aren't true. LSC is CRUCIAL to making justice system fair. #LSCmatters"

In a recent interview with POLITICO Magazine, Harbaugh explained what he meant. He described funding the LSC as a bipartisan issue, adding, "It's an American issue and I'm allowed to be an American."

Fearing President Donald Trump might defund legal aid, Harbaugh - a member of the Legal Services Corp's Leaders Council - said he felt it was necessary to speak up, regardless of how he makes his living.

Via POLITICO Magazine:

Some people say 'Why is a football coach concerned?' I explained I'm an American first and all Americans should care about justice. The idea, as you learn about our legal system, [is] the danger of not being able to have access to justice. From what I can see it's that, if you have money you have access to justice. If you don't, it's becoming increasingly less and less access for low-income Americans and that's the crux of it. I mean, to have a society that has liberty and justice for all, it's right there in the constitution. And LSC is the largest funder of civil legal aid in our nation.

Harbaugh said his tweet - from Feb. 28 which has since been retweeted 2,400 times and liked 4,900 times - received a "mostly positive" response, as he elaborated on how government fees can snowball against a low-income person.

He also said although he has spoken with former President Barack Obama since the election, he has not met with Trump since he took office. But, if given the chance to speak with the president, Harbaugh said he'd reiterate the message in his tweet.

"I'm not saying this as a football coach, I'm saying this as an American. I'm for America first," he told POLITICO Magazine, but noted he was not aware of Trump's "America first" slogan.