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The football team at the University of Michigan is currently embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal that seems poised to bring the program to its knees based on the evidence that’s surfaced so far. However, it may have engaged in more unsavory behavior than previously believed based on new accusations concerning espionage orchestrated by ball boys on the sidelines.
The Michigan Wolverines have transformed into one of the most formidable college football teams in the country under the watch of Jim Harbaugh. The squad appeared to have all the makings of a national championship contender heading into the current season, and it’s more than lived up to expectations with dominant wins over every single opponent it’s faced while remaining undefeated.
However, everything it’s achieved in recent years has been tarnished courtesy of the explosive development we were treated to earlier this month after Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was accused of repeatedly and routinely attending games at other schools to steal the signals teams who were slated to face off against the Wolverines use to relay play calls.
Michigan is far from the first team to attempt to use that kind of intel to its advantage, but the shamelessly blatant strategy it allegedly harnessed to gain an edge is the textbook definition of “a bad look” and one that will likely result in the NCAA doling out a severe punishment pending the result of its official investigation into the matter.
According to Sports Illustrated, that may not have been the only way Michigan tried to improperly gain an edge, as the outlet says an unnamed Big Ten program was told to keep an eye out for ball boys relaying plays to the home team’s sideline:
A coach at a different school called them before playing Michigan to warn them about Wolverines ball boys on their sideline listening to play calls and communicating information to the Michigan sideline—holding the football up in one hand to indicate an expected pass, and in the other hand to indicate a run.
It’s obviously worth noting the team admitted it didn’t end up noticing any patterns that raised red flags when it played in Ann Arbor.
Based on an article ESPN published earlier this year, the Wolverines are also far from the first program to arouse suspicion thanks to the behavior of their ball boys, and while that’s essentially child’s play compared to the allegations surrounding Stalions, it’s certainly not helping Michigan’s case.