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Michigan football's sign-stealing scandal: details, developments and what's next
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- Michigan football's sign-stealing scandal: details, developments and what's next
The University of Michigan 's football team has been embroiled in a practice that's as old as college football itself: sign-stealing .
Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was accused of buying tickets to games against Michigan'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.
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Stalions resigned and head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended from the Big Ten in the aftermath of the investigation.
Here's what we know about Michigan and the sign-stealing accusations :
Michigan caps season with national championship
The Michigan Wolverines won the school's first national championship since 1997 , dominating the fourth quarter to beat Washington 34-13. Blake Corum rushed for 134 yards and scored two touchdowns as Michigan ran for 303 yards.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh addressed the undefeated season, one in which he missed six games due to various suspensions.
"It went exactly how we wanted it to go to win every game," Harbaugh said. "The off-the-field issues, we're innocent and we stood strong and tall because we knew we were innocent. And I'd like to point that out.
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"These guys are innocent. Overcome that … it wasn't that hard because we knew we were innocent."
Jim Harbaugh passes on encounter with Big Ten commissioner at trophy presentation
The biggest intrigue entering the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis wasn't whether Michigan would win – it did, 26-0 – but it was surrounding the trophy presentation .
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti would normal hand the silver football-shaped trophy to the head coach of the winning team. There's just one problem. Petitti just suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the program's sign-stealing scheme a few weeks ago. Saturday's game was Harbaugh's first back on the sideline since the suspension, which the school originally tried to fight in court but later backed off.
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So, when Fox's Joel Klatt announced was cued to moderate "the moment," it ended up not happening. Klatt said that Petitti, who was roundly booed by the partisan Michigan crowd and didn't exactly stand front in center on the stage set up on the field, wouldn't hand things off to Harbaugh.
"To present tonight's championship trophy, Coach Harbaugh wanted it to go to Zak Zinter . So the commissioner of the Big Ten, Tony Petitti, the trophy, to 65, Zak Zinter," Klatt said.
Zinter, the senior captain and offensive lineman who suffered season ending leg breaks in last week's game against Ohio State , was cheered when he held the trophy aloft. — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press
Fired Michigan assistant denies knowledge of sign-stealing
Former Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge said he knew nothing of the alleged sign-stealing scheme that is still under investigation and said that he was fired on Nov. 17 for discussing the probe with "anyone associated with the program."
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Partridge posted a statement on social media saying he kept quiet until now because he did not want to distract from the team's goal of an unbeaten regular season. Michigan is 12-0 and plays Iowa on Saturday in the Big Ten Championship. A victory by the Wolverines all but guarantees entry into the College Football Playoff.
"Additionally, at no point did I destroy any evidence related to the ongoing investigation," Partridge said .
"While I am extremely disappointed in the University's decision to terminate my employment their decision does not change my continued love and support of Coach Jim Harbaugh, the coaches, and the players of Team 144 as they continue their quest for a National Championship," Partridge added.
Harbaugh says he found out about suspension via social media
The Michigan head coach avoided making any statements on the ongoing investigation, but did offer some insight about how the suspension came down.
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During a press conference on Nov. 13 , Harbaugh says that he didn't find out through official means that he had been given a suspension. Rather, he found out via social media.
"Just, somebody showed me their phone," Harbaugh said, saying that he wasn't contacted by the Big Ten. He added that Michigan AD Warde Manuel also found out about the suspension via social media.
Harbaugh reiterates that the upcoming Friday hearing should clarify his standing with the school moving forward, but that he's still undecided as to whether or not he will testify.
Harbaugh won't coach against Penn State
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh will not coach in Saturday's game against Penn State after there was no ruling on the temporary restraining order the school filed late Friday.
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The Big Ten Conference suspended Harbaugh for the rest of the regular season after the team violated the conference's sportsmanship policy. Harbaugh had asked a judge to stop the Big Ten from disciplining him so he could coach against the Nittany Lions .
A hearing is next scheduled for Friday, Nov. 17 at 9 a.m. to discuss the temporary restraining order.
Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyers weighs in
When asked about Jim Harbaugh's suspension Friday and the past 24 hours for Michigan football , former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer could only find one word to use : "Insanity."
"This is insanity," Meyer said on FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff." "You have two teams playing for a conference championship, potentially a national championship. Your head coach is eight miles away."
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As for Michigan's "sign-stealing scheme," Meyer said he's "never heard of that" in his head coaching career.
"I've heard people say 'Everyone does it.' I've never heard of that in my career," Meyer said.
– Colin Gay, Columbus Dispatch
Michigan prepared to take conference to court if punished without full investigation
Michigan says it is prepared to take legal action against the Big Ten Conference if the team is disciplined in any fashion, especially if sanctions come down without a full investigation, according to a report from the Associated Press .
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The news comes in the backdrop of Michigan still being in the thick of the College Football Playoff race. The third-ranked Wolverines take off Penn State on Saturday.
The conference can impose suspensions of two games and fines up to $10,000 according to its by-laws and more severe punishment can be levied if approved by an executive committee.
Michigan is cooperating with the NCAA in its investigation, which could drag out far past this season.
Blake Corum says he has no relationship with Connor Stalions
Michigan running back Blake Corum said there is no business relationship between him and ex-football staff member Connor Stalions, who is accused of sign-stealing and off-campus scouting. Corum made the statement after records showed him and Stalions as co-owners of a limited liability company based in Wyoming .
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Wyoming Secretary of State records show that Corum, Stalions, and a third person, Connor O'Dea, as organizers of BC2 Housing LLC. Corum says he has his lawyers trying to find out how his name appeared on those documents.
"I don't have any businesses with Connor or anything like that," Corum said to reporters. "But I'm glad whoever found it, whoever searched the web, was able to find that, I appreciate you. My attorneys are on it. Definitely get that figured out right away, get my name taken off of whatever it is."
Report: Michigan sends 'documents' allegedly showing signal-sharing between other Big Ten teams to league
Michigan believes that Purdue received the Wolverines' offensive signals from Ohio State and defensive signals from Rutgers prior to the 2022 Big Ten title game between the Wolverines and Boilermakers and has sent "documents" to the Big Ten to support its claims, ESPN reports .
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According to ESPN's report, the Big Ten is sending the information Michigan sent along to the NCAA. ESPN also noted that it's "unknown whether the signal sharing between league teams violates the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy or any NCAA rules."
The AP reported Monday that "a former employee at a Big Ten football program said it was his job to steal signs and he was given details from multiple league schools to compile a spreadsheet of play-calling signals used by Michigan last year."
Michigan football served notice of potential disciplinary action from Big Ten
The Big Ten sent a formal notice to Michigan athletics notifying it of potential disciplinary action related to Michigan football's alleged illegal sign-stealing scheme.
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The notice is required by Big Ten bylaws, which states: "In the event that it becomes clear that an institution is likely to be subjected to disciplinary action, the Commissioner shall notify that institution or individual at the earliest reasonable opportunity. Under no circumstances shall the Commissioner comment publicly regarding either an investigation or disciplinary action without first providing notice to any involved institution or individual."
Michigan could be punished based on the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy. The investigation centers on whether Michigan was scouting future opponents in-person and using video recordings to decipher coaches' signals from the sideline. Both actions are against NCAA rules.
— Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press
Connor Stalions says Jim Harbaugh had no knowledge of wrongdoing
Connor Stalions released a statement to The Athletic, the first public comments by the former Michigan football staffer since the controversy was revealed.
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"I love the University of Michigan and its football program," Stallions said. "And I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I've had to work with the incredible student athletes, coach Harbaugh and the other coaches that have been a part of the Michigan football family during my tenure. I do not want to be a distraction from what I hope to be a championship run for the team, and I will continue to cheer them on."
A statement by Stalions' agent, Brad Beckworth, said no one on Michigan's staff, including Harbaugh, was aware of any wrongdoing.
"(Stalions) hopes his resignation will help the team and coaching staff focus on (Saturday's) game and the remainder of the season," Beckworth said. "Connor also wants to make it clear that, to his knowledge, neither Coach Harbaugh, nor any other coach or staff member, told anyone to break any rules or were aware of improper conduct regarding the recent allegations of advanced scouting."
Connor Stalions resigns
Connor Stalions , the Michigan Wolverines football staffer at the center of the program's sign-stealing scandal , has resigned, according to a statement from the school .
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"Connor Stalions resigned his position with Michigan Athletics this afternoon. We are unable to comment further regarding this personnel matter," Michigan said in a Friday night statement .
Prior to Michigan's statement, multiple reports suggested that Stalions was fired.
According to The Athletic , Stalions "refused to cooperate with any internal or external investigations or discussions." Per the Associated Press , Stalions "failed to show up for a scheduled hearing Friday and informed the school through his attorney he would not participate in any internal or external investigations."
Big Ten coaches ready to take action
As Michigan finds itself in the thick of the College Football Playoff race , coaches in the Big Ten are wondering why conference commissioner Tony Petitti has not dealt out punishment to the team. The Wolverines are third in the first CFP rankings and could very well appear in another Final Four if they win out.
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According to reports, "a vast majority" of Big Ten coaches encouraged Petitti to "take action against Michigan."
Purdue football coach Ryan Walters was much more blunt about his assessment of the situation.
"It's unfortunate," Walters said on his weekly radio show. "What's crazy is they aren'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."
What did Urban Meyer say about Michigan's sign-stealing allegations?
Former Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer has been silent on the Michigan sign-stealing allegations – until now.
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"I've been asked over 100 times to comment on it and I just won't," Meyer said this week on his podcast, "Urban's Take with Tim May."
"But I am going to, I'll tell you my thoughts: First of all I'm very skeptical of reporters' reporting. My experience is they're wrong most of the time. And that's not a shot at the media, that's reality. People say things that they're reporting that's just not true. So I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt saying, first of all it's hard for me to believe that is true."
But Meyer, who went 4-0 against Michigan's Jim Harbaugh, also pushed back on the idea that every program does things like what Michigan has been accused of, and said the allegations, if true, are "egregious."
"I also heard people say that 'Well, everyone does that.' And Tim, no one does that," Meyer continued. "I've never heard of that in 40 years of being around the game." — Gabriela Carroll, USA TODAY Network
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Investigation widens after Connor Stalions suspected on Central Michigan sidelines
Central Michigan athletic director Amy Folan said the school is in the process of fact-finding after someone resembling Stalions was seen in a photo on the sidelines of CMU's season-opening football game against Michigan State.
The man is seen standing alongside several Central Michigan coaches, in team attire, wearing a bench credential.
In a statement to the Detroit Free Press , part of the USA TODAY Network, Folan said the school became aware of the photos late Monday.
"We became aware of these photos late yesterday and we are in the process of determining the facts surrounding them," Folan said. "As this process is ongoing, we have no further comment at this time."
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A Michigan spokesperson said "that is not something that I can comment on" via a text to the Free Press.
The allegation is the first that potentially places Stalions on the sideline of a game involving a Michigan opponent.
Report: Scandal led to Michigan pulling Harbaugh contract extension
Harbaugh was apparently on the verge of signing a contract extension with Michigan that would have made him the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. However, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday the school "rescinded" its offer after the sign-stealing allegations became public.
The Journal cited "a person familiar with the matter" and said the move is "the first sign that the school may be hesitant about its future relationship with the famed coach."
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Harbaugh denied substance of the report when he was asked about the report the following day.
"I wouldn't say that's accurate, no," he stated.
Harbaugh also declined to answer a follow-up question from reporters about his relationship with the university and athletic director Warde Manuel.
"I can talk about the football game this Saturday," he said to the questioner. "It doesn't seem like you're interested in that."
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.
Michigan assistant Connor Stalions, right, looks on during a game in September. Stalions was suspended by the university and is at the center of a sign-stealing scheme that is being investigated by the NCAA.
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.
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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.
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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.
COACH STEVE: Michigan football probe a warning for youth coaches not to let wins consume kids
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.
Ex-Division III coach says he was compensated to record Michigan opponents
An unnamed former Division III coach and player said that Connor Stalions provided him "a couple hundred dollars" and a ticket to a Michigan home game in exchange for recording Michigan opponents. The person said he attended three Big Ten games over the past two years: two Penn State games and one against Rutgers.
"I didn't like it, but it's a gray line," he told ESPN . "You can call me naïve, but no one is reading the bylaws. I'm not a contractual lawyer. … I just felt like if you're not doing it, you're not trying to get ahead."
The person said he only spoke to Stalions and is not sure how many others are involved.
"I wasn't doing it for personal gain or hoping to get my foot in the door if Connor becomes a head coach someday," he said. " he said. "It was just, I got to go to some Big Ten games, all right, sweet. And everyone else I felt was doing it to some degree. It's a billion-dollar industry. You're going to work in the gray areas as best you can."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan sign stealing: Jim Harbaugh's role, timeline, what we know
