Harbaugh: Edwards' 'U-M football is trash' comments are not true

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WJBK) - Former University of Michigan great Braylon Edwards blasted the football program online after its 24-17 loss at Notre Dame Saturday.

Edwards criticized the offense, picking out two players by name and calling the program "trash" in a since deleted tweet. 

U-M Coach Jim Harbaugh responded to the jab while the current Big Ten Network analyst was suspended Monday for his comments.

Harbaugh called the comments "simply not true."

In his original tweet, Edwards called out lineman Cesar Ruiz and quarterback Shea Patterson.

"Ruiz is weak, line is weak, Shea is scared, f-ing Michigan offense is so predictable…. Michigan football is sadly one thing… Trash," the tweet said.

At his Monday press conference, Harbaugh was asked about Edwards' tweets.

"First of all it's not true. It's not factual," he said. There's nobody in our program who thinks those things about any player on our team, let alone the two players he described.

"On another level, it's disappointing that a member of the Big Ten Network would choose to attack the character of two of our players. That's disappointing.

 "If someone wants to attack the character of anybody on the ball club, come after me."

But Edwards is not backing down, calling out the $8 million a year coach's underwhelming record in the past three seasons.

"So funny that everyone is worried my tweet as opposed to the real issue, 0-17 on the road against ranked opponents, 1-6 against rivals and the one win was against a 3-9 MSU. 

"Last thing I will ask and really think about this before you get mad ... is Michigan better than Iowa?"

Edwards posted a tweet later Monday apologizing for going after players in his comments - but not for his takes on the team's struggles.

"I would like to address the tweet from this past Saturday," he wrote. "I should not have attacked Ruiz and Patterson that hard or period individually. I apologize as a former student athlete and NCAA analyst. With that being said UM football still needs to step up so no apologies there."