CMU Investigating Viral Photo Of Man Resembling Connor Stalion Dressed As Staffer On Sideline During Michigan State Game

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College football fans are understandably obsessed with the sign-stealing scandal currently swirling around the University of Michigan, and now, CMU announced it’s taking a closer look at a viral photo of a man who resembles the Wolverines staffer at the center of the controversy on the Chippewas sideline during a game against Michigan State earlier this season.

If you haven’t been keeping tabs on the biggest story in college football, the Michigan Wolverines are currently weathering a firestorm of backlash courtesy of Connor Stalions, a team employee who’s been accused of traveling to other schools to film the hand signals used to relay plays from the sidelines.

This is far from the first time a school has been implicated for engaging in that particular form of gamesmanship. The act of stealing signs exists in a bit of a grey area in the rulebook, but based on the evidence that’s surfaced so far, it seems like Michigan and Stalions crossed the line with a shamelessly brazen approach to gathering intel.

Things took yet another turn on Monday when the internet latched onto a new conspiracy theory courtesy of a photo that showed someone bearing a close resemblance to Stalions clad in Central Michigan apparel on the team’s sideline during their showdown with Michigan State on September 1st.

I spent more time than I care to admit analyzing the CMU media guide earlier today to see if there are any members of the team’s staff who looked like the man in question, and while there are a couple of potential culprits, it was impossible to definitively rule out the possibility Stalions had, in fact, managed to infiltrate the field.

I reached out to a CMU spokesperson who provided me with a statement from Athletic Director Amy Folan, who says the school is currently investigating the situation:

“We became aware of these photos late yesterday and we are in the process of determining the facts surrounding them. As this process is ongoing, we have no further comment at this time.”  

The fact that CMU didn’t immediately clear things up by confirming the man is associated with the Chippewas certainly won’t do much to stop people from continuing to speculate.

With that said, Stalions was sporting a decidedly bald look when Michigan hosted ECU in Ann Arbor the day after CMU and MSU faced off in Lansing, and while he certainly could have shaved his head between games, it seems very, very likely this is simply a case of mistaken identity.