Kirthmon F. Dozier
It seems like more time has passed than actually has, but it wasn’t that long ago that the biggest story in the sports world was a sign-stealing scandal that engulfed the Michigan football team during their 2023 national championship season.
While Michigan made it clear that they are going to fight the NCAA investigation into their conduct centered around former program staffer Connor Stalions running an off-site sign-stealing operation involving videotaping the signs of future opponents, they also admitted to breaking NCAA rules.
Stalions, a low-level staffer and former member of the United States Navy, was allegedly sending associates to games and having them film the signs of the opposition. They could then use regular game film to match up the signs with playcalls, and Stalions would be near Michigan coaches on the sideline to translate the signs into information.
Stalions was fired last October soon after the scandal broke, and Jim Harbaugh, now with the Chargers, was suspended for three games. An NCAA investigation has ensued, as off-campus scouting is not permitted by NCAA rules. Michigan was already under investigation for recruiting violations under Harbaugh, adding to the peril of an NCAA investigation.
On Tuesday, Yahoo!’s Ross Dellenger reported on the document that Michigan sent the NCAA Committee on Infractions to defend itself. It’s clear that Michigan is set to fight to prevent harsh penalties. But, they did indeed admit that there was illegal off-campus scouting.
In its response, the school acknowledges that some impermissible in-person scouting appears to have occurred — “though less than the (NCAA) claims” — and that some recruiting violations occurred, as well. All of the wrongdoing, it says, will be addressed in the Committee on Infractions hearing and it will advise committee members of self-imposed penalties.
Michigan believes the COI will see that actual evidence has “not borne out” the NCAA’s initial assessment of “the resulting, sensational public narrative, or the approach taken in the notice of allegations,” the response says.
So, after a year-plus of Michigan fans saying that no rules were broken, that narrative is out the door. Now, Michigan thinks that the penalties won’t be very steep, as they self-imposed some penalties and Jim Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for the final three regular season games of the 2023 season.
Michigan claims that there’s no evidence that says the coaches knew about the illegal parts of the sign-stealing operations. But, the article also details deleted texts between current Michigan head coach and former offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore and Stalions that show them talking about opponents’ signs. That doesn’t mean that Moore knew that he was acquiring some signs illegally, but it’s not a big logical leap to say that he should’ve known or did know.
Of note, the letter also revealed that a tip to the FBI about alleged illegal computer activities within the Michigan program came from Michigan’s campus.
This saga is far from over.