Current:Home > NewsWhat we know about the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal -ProfitLogic
What we know about the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal
View
Date:2025-04-17 22:14:45
The University of Michigan's football team is embroiled in a practice that's as old as college football itself: sign-stealing.
A Michigan staffer has been accused of buying tickets to games against the team's conference and possible future College Football Playoff opponents with the sole purpose of sign stealing and scouting so the Wolverines could have an advantage in games.
That staffer, Connor Stalions, has been suspended by the university and the NCAA is also investigating. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has denied any involvement in the sign-stealing scheme.
What is Connor Stalions being accused of?
The 28-year-old Stalions allegedly bought tickets, using his real name, to almost three dozen games over the past three seasons. According to ESPN.com, 12 different Big Ten schools were scouted and the use of electronics and a paper trail were also found. Stalions then forwarded tickets to others around the country and also used television broadcasts to further the scheme.
Stalions bought tickets to the 2021 and 2022 SEC title games, as well as games at Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Oregon, just in case the Wolverines would meet those teams in a future playoff game.
Stalions even bought tickets on both sides of Ohio Stadium in Columbus for the Buckeyes' victory over Penn State on Oct. 21, but those tickets were not used.
The NCAA rule being looked at is 11.6.1, which reads in-part: “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited." The rulebook also cites exceptions, such as where "an institutional staff member may scout future opponents also participating in the same event at the same site."
"The Big Ten conference considers the integrity of competition to be of the utmost importance. Due to the ongoing nature of the NCAA investigation, the conference has no comment at this time," the conference said in a statement this week.
Yahoo Sports first reported that the Big Ten received notification from the NCAA about Michigan's way of scouting opponents. Although sign-stealing is not technically against the rules, in-person scouting of opponents has been banned for almost 30 years.
Michigan is 8-0 and ranked No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Wolverines are off this week and next play at home against Purdue on Nov. 4.
What are other teams are saying about Michigan's sign-stealing scandal?
LSU head coach Brian Kelly said it is overdue that college football adopts a communication system to stop sign-stealing.
"It's silly," Kelly said to ESPN. "Silly meaning my genuine feeling is that we have too many smart people that have looked at this and said we should be doing it and we haven't taken the time to actually move it forward.
"But this isn't the first time we've heard of sign stealing, whether there is proposed sign-stealing or people were buying tickets to other games. This is all part of why this should not even be part of the equation."
According to Yahoo! Sports, TCU knew of Michigan and its sign-stealing tendencies before their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup in the Fiesta Bowl last season.
The Horned Frogs went so far as to use "dummy" signals to confuse the Wolverines' defense.
"Sometimes we froze a play before the snap," one unidentified TCU coach told Yahoo. "We’d call a play and then we’d signal in another play with an old signal but we told players to run the original play.”
Before the semifinal game, the Horned Frogs coaching staff started getting phone calls from other coaches to warn them of Michigan's alleged habit of sign-stealing and to look out for it. The Horned Frogs nearly blew a 19-point third-quarter lead before prevailing 51-45.
How was Michigan's sign-stealing scandal revealed?
Even though it was a hidden secret that Michigan had in some ways been sign-stealing for years, it was only this month when the details started to emerge.
The Washington Post reported this week that someone associated with an outside investigative firm tipped off the NCAA and provided them with videos and documents for multiple computer drives from Michigan coaches.
It is not known who initially contacted the investigative firm.
The unidentified firm's probe started this season, according to the report, and the firm also interviewed people who had knowledge about how Michigan scouted opponents. They took their findings to the NCAA on Oct. 17. The very next day, the NCAA told the Big Ten and Michigan that an investigation was forthcoming and based on the evidence, there might be more than one person involved.
veryGood! (1715)
Related
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Okta's stock slumps after security company says it was hacked
- A Shadowy Corner of International Law Is Threatening Climate Action, U.N. Expert Warns
- A Suspect has been charged in a 1991 killing in Arkansas that closes a cold case
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Chancellor Scholz voices outrage at antisemitic agitation in Germany ‘of all places’
- Biden gets temporary Supreme Court win on social media case but Justice Alito warns of 'censorship'
- The IRS will soon set new tax brackets for 2024. Here's what that means for your money.
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- A seasonal viral stew is brewing with flu, RSV, COVID and more
Ranking
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Seattle Seahawks safety Jamal Adams fined for second outburst toward doctor, per report
- A 5.2 magnitude earthquake in Nepal damages dozens of homes and causes a landslide
- A Detroit synagogue president was fatally stabbed outside her home. Police don’t have a motive
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Kourtney Kardashian Shares Heartfelt Birthday Tribute to Kim Kardashian After TV Fights
- Undefeated No. 3 Buckeyes and No. 7 Nittany Lions clash in toughest test yet for Big Ten East rivals
- A Shadowy Corner of International Law Is Threatening Climate Action, U.N. Expert Warns
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
Apple supplier Foxconn subjected to tax inspections by Chinese authorities
Storm hits northern Europe, killing at least 4 people
Michigan football suspends analyst Connor Stalions amid NCAA investigation of Wolverines
Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
Cyprus police arrest 4 people after a small explosion near the Israeli Embassy
Australian prime minister announces China visit hours before leaving for US to meet Biden
'Wait Wait' for October 21, 2023: Live from Connecticut with James Patterson!