A marathon Olympic day of American thrillers. Plus: Why Jordan Chiles is losing her bronze medal

Gabriel Bouys / AFP via Getty Images

Wait, What? Chiles has to return her bronze

After being awarded the bronze medal in the floor exercise last Monday, American gymnast Jordan Chiles received word this morning she has to give it back. Let us explain:

• You might recall that Chiles’ original score would have left her off the podium, but her coach submitted a scoring inquiry that led to a .100 increase, enough to land her third place.
• That change pushed Romania’s Ana Maria Bărbosu into fourth.
• In response to essentially an appeal of the appeal by Romania, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that Chiles’ coach submitted her inquiry four seconds past the deadline for challenges, and said that Chiles’ original score would be reinstated. That leaves the American in fifth.
  
• While there was some initial question over how the medals would shake out, the IOC confirmed this morning that Chiles’ bronze will be reallocated to Bărbosu. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee plans to appeal the CAS decision.

Basically, it’s an entirely avoidable comedy of errors, our Dana O’Neil writes.

Three Questions: Do Michigan, Harbaugh penalties matter?

We touched on it a little this week, but the ongoing sign-stealing fallout at Michigan — nearly a year after it began — has held my interest. Jim Harbaugh, the former coach, decamped to the Chargers after winning a national title amid said scandal. His former coaches and players are dealing with the consequences.

And that’s not even the only NCAA issue the school is managing from the Harbaugh era — this week, the former coach earned a four-year NCAA sanction for separate recruiting violations.

What sticks with me: Does any of this matter? We’ve seen plenty of NCAA investigations turn toothless in the last 10 years. I went to Austin Meek, our excellent Michigan writer who reported extensively on the recruiting violations (and, uh, cheeseburgers), for more insight:

The NCAA makes these allegations seem capital-S Serious. Will they actually hurt the football program and/or new coach Sherrone Moore?

Austin: The one thing the NCAA could do that would really hurt is a postseason ban. That wouldn’t just hurt Michigan and Moore — it would hurt the players, some of whom weren’t on the roster when any of this stuff happened. The NCAA has moved away from postseason bans for that reason, but there’s also a case to be made that Michigan’s situation warrants something more punitive. The allegations cast a shadow on the beginning of Moore’s tenure, but I don’t anticipate many long-term ramifications … unless the Wolverines struggle on the field, in which case this stuff could be dredged up again.

I’m curious about the mood locally. Defiant? Nonchalant?

Mostly indifferent, I think. Michigan fans have been hearing for months that the NCAA was going to drop the proverbial hammer, and I think they’re mostly numb to it. I’m guessing the penalties, when they ultimately come down, will satisfy no one. Michigan fans will believe the NCAA had an ax to grind against their program, and fans of other schools will believe Michigan got off too easy.

Did you ever expect to report something so serious about a cheeseburger?

Well, every day is a new adventure on the Michigan beat. I assumed covering Jim Harbaugh would lead to some wild stories, but I can’t say I predicted this one. College football definitely won’t be the same without him.

Make sure to read Austin’s story on finding the cheeseburger that turned into a scandal. Sounded delicious, to be honest.

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Pulse Picks

Enjoyed this fun (illustrated!) piece from Susannah Hainley, who wrote about experiencing the Paris Games from two perspectives — that of an Olympic tourist and a temporary Parisian local.

A messy breakup with the Bills is apparently far behind Stefon Diggs. As Dianna Russini reported Friday, the Texans are loving life with their new No. 1 receiver.

Jayson Stark always delivers with Weird and Wild. Don’t miss his History Watch from earlier this week, where he found a most unusual — and impressive — Aaron Judge stat.

There’s no one better to talk about the White Sox than Jon Greenberg, who says the team and former manager Pedro Grifol are much better off without each other.

This was fun from Thursday: Fluto Shinzawa writes about hockey sleep hacks employed by the NHL’s best players, including “super” power naps and cherry juice.

Ray Orr, The Athletic’s managing editor of design, picked her favorite photo from each Olympic sport.

Most-clicked in the newsletter Friday: David Aldridge’s dispatch on how the U.S. men’s basketball team found a new level on defense in its semifinal win against Serbia.

Most-read on the website yesterday: The U.S.-France men’s basketball live blog. Scroll back through it for a jolt of energy this morning.

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