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- The NCAA is investigating the Michigan football program for alleged sign-stealing orchestrated by former staffer Connor Stalions.
- The NCAA alleges that Stalions sent individuals to record signals of opposing teams, which he then decoded.
- A final decision on potential sanctions is expected 8-12 weeks after the hearing concludes.
The Michigan football program may be in the midst of its most important weekend of the year — and it has nothing to do with a football game.
At least, none on the current calendar.
The Wolverines’ sign stealing scandal, orchestrated by disgraced former staffer Connor Stalions, has reached its climax with final pitches from both the prosecutor, the NCAA, and the defense — Michigan — set for an Indianapolis courtroom over a two day span on Friday, June 6 and Saturday, June 7.
The who’s who of Michigan is expected to be there including athletic director Warde Manuel, interim president Domenico Grasso (his first big assignment after taking over for Santa Ono, who announced he was leaving for Florida earlier this spring, only to be rebuffed by the university’s Board of Governors earlier this week), Stalions himself and of course the university’s legal council.
The investigation surrounds Stalions, who allegedly sent tickets to people he knew around the country to attend games of future and potential future U-M opponents, where they would then use technology to record the signals being given on the sidelines and then send them to Stalions to later dissect and decode.
In one most egregious case, Stalions appeared to have dressed up as an undercover staffer on Central Michigan to gain access to the sidelines in the 2023 season-opener against rival Michigan State.
While sign stealing itself is not against college football rules, advanced scouting is, per NCAA bylaw 11.6.1 which was instituted in 1994 to ensure a level playing field.
The whistle was blown once and for all on Staltions’ operation in October 2023, yet the Wolverines didn’t let that distraction slow them down on their march to a 15-0 season and a national championship.
Former coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the final three regular season games by the Big Ten — which came after he served a university-imposed three-game ban in the nonconference slate to open the year after U-M was found to have committed separate recruiting violations by being in contact with players during a COVID-19 dead period ahead of the 2021 season — and then promptly left following the season for the NFL.
In the reported draft notice of allegations the NCAA sent to Michigan last summer it did not claim to have any evidence that Harbaugh knew directly about the sign stealing, however it did say that he did not cooperate with the governing body’s investigators.
Harbaugh has since been hit with a four-year show cause and a one-year suspension should he want to return to the NCAA ranks — more could be coming after this committee on infractions hearing is all said and done — but many believe that ship has sailed.
As for the matter at hand, the Michigan football program and its staffers are facing 11 separate NCAA violations, more than half of which (6) are currently Level I charges, which is the most serious variety. Of these, there are number which are pertinent.
Perhaps first and foremost is that according to the NCAA, Michigan “failed to monitor” its staff appropriately given the alleged sign stealing went on for a span of three years at reportedly more than 50 various games.
Next, the “repeat violator” offense. This goes not only for Michigan, which is already on probation through April 9, 2027 after it agreed to its various recruiting violations that have since seen former coaches Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale (both on staff with Harbaugh in L.A) hit with show causes as well, but current head coach Sherrone Moore.
Michigan has already handed Moore a self-imposed two-game suspension to try and get out and in front of the news, but was met with backlash for making Moore’s suspension for games in Weeks 3 and 4 instead of the first two games to avoid him missing a key matchup with Oklahoma.
Moore was also suspended for one game to open the 2023 season as part of the recruiting sanctions when he was offensive coordinator, but now finds himself in hot water for having deleted a string of 52 text messages with Stalions on the day his name made national headlines — one of the five Level II violations.
The NCAA recovered the messages via device imaging once Moore turned his phone over and U-M’s head coach has since said he “looks forward” to the messages being released.
After nearly two years of both sides throwing jabs at one another, this weekend should finally bring an end to the matter. Now the resolution won’t come this weekend — typically they take between eight and 12 weeks to be fully sorted out — but both sides will get to make their final cases and lay out their best arguments before the committee on infractions, which will then make its determination.
Outside fan bases will likely think Michigan got off easy if wins aren’t vacated, or titles stripped — results that feel unlikely.
The Michigan supporters will likely continue their line of “the NCAA is out to get us” and be upset with any resolution that punishes the Wolverines.
Either way, by summer’s end, this should all finally be over.
That is, unless Michigan doesn’t like the punishments which is laid before them. That could start yet another appeals process. Let’s cross that bridge if we get to it.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
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