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Purdue coach Ryan Walters has had a tough go of things in his first season as the head coach of the Boilermakers.
Walters and co. are just 2-6 and have a tall task in front of them Saturday when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on the 8-0 Michigan Wolverines.
That task is made even tough by the fact the Michigan’s Curt Stallions allegedly attended multiple Purdue games this season in order to steal signs from the Boilermakers.
At least, that’s what Walters alleges.
“It’s unfortunate,” Walters said Thursday night on his radio show. “What’s crazy is they weren’t allegations. It happened. There’s video evidence. There’s ticket purchases and sales that you can track back. We know for a fact that they were at a number of our games, so we’ve had to teach our guys a new language in terms of some signals.”
Walters is one of the first Big Ten coaches to directly address the allegations lobbed at Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Both the NCAA and Big Ten are currently investigating the matter and Big Ten coaches are reportedly pushing the conference to punish the Wolverines immediately.
Harbaugh and company have continually denied the allegations. But the mounting evidence paints the program, and head coach, in a less than stellar light.
Michigan likely does not need the Boilermakers’ signs to be a favorite in the contest. But Walters says his team still made significant adjustments in practice this week.
“We will operate differently offensively,” Walters said. “You might see us in a huddle for the first time this season. It is what it is. We’re excited to go play.”
First year Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti now has a mess on his hands. One that isn’t expected to get sorted out before the end of the season.