After meeting with Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has decided to forgo that route and retain Tony Sparano, according to Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com. It is believed that Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland continued to push Ross to retain Sparano, but that Ross insisted upon exploring the Stanford head coach.
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross courted Harbaugh in a meeting in the San Francisco area on Wednesday, a day after he met with the San Francisco 49ers about their head coaching vacancy, two other people with knowledge of the situation said. But after the meeting, Harbaugh was still considering staying at Stanford, one person said.
Harbaugh also met Thursday with the president of the university and the provost. The school made an amended offer to the coach with enhancements from an offer presented in early December.