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On Thursday, the world learned Michigan’s football team has ended up at the center of an NCAA investigation stemming from allegations the team illegally stole signs from multiple opponents this season. It’s still unclear who floated those claims in the first place, but Rutgers seems like a top contender based on an old interview with Greg Schiano that’s taken on new meaning.
If you’re still getting up to speed, Michigan has been accused of violating an NCAA rule that prohibits teams from sending representatives to other games to scout the teams they’ll be facing off against at some point during the season.
There’s really no need to do that in a day and age where it’s pretty easy to track down all of the film required to put together a game plan.
However, based on the information that’s come to light so far, multiple teams who’ve faced off against Michigan this season claim they have reason to believe the Wolverines had previously dispatched employees to games to try to figure out the hand signals they use to relay play calls from the sideline.
At this point, the NCAA seems to be playing things pretty close to the chest, and no concrete evidence has emerged that would support the allegations.
However, it didn’t take long for the internet to dig up a clip of the halftime interview Schiano conducted during Michigan’s game with Rutgers on September 23rd. During the exchange, the head coach of the Scarlet Knights hinted “There’s some things going on that aren’t right,” and it sure seems like he was alluding to the improper tomfoolery the Wolverines have been accused of engaging in.
This Greg Schiano halftime interview vs. Michigan seemed very odd at the time… 🧐 pic.twitter.com/TaSDkWyT78
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) October 19, 2023
It’s safe to assume Rutgers made some adjustments in the locker room to address the issue, but based on what transpired in the second half of that game, Schiano may have been better off sticking with the original approach when you consider Michigan racked up 17 unanswered points en route to a 31-7 win at The Big House.