I would say the opposite. It was framed as though UM was doing something not against the rules, so that it could be laughed off, when if that was what 2 opponents accused them of, would have been immediately shot down. The helmet propaganda machine rolls on.
Since Harbaugh barely dodged getting fired in 2020, he has sure seemed real good about playing questionable players, hiring questionable coaches and breaking rules, while winning a lot of games.
That's typically how it works