Coach Just Got Banned For 3 Games….

The University of Michigan football team, which is one of the favorites to win the national championship, is entangled in a purported sign-stealing scheme that includes illegal in-person scouting of opponents dating back up to three seasons.

While the second-ranked Wolverines (9-0) continue their season, the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference, of which Michigan is a member, have been investigating the claims for at least three weeks. Jim Harbaugh, the coach, has denied having any knowledge of any unethical scouting tactics used in his team.

While the second-ranked Wolverines (9-0) continue their season, the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference, of which Michigan is a member, have been investigating the claims for at least three weeks. Jim Harbaugh, the coach, has denied having any knowledge of any unethical scouting tactics used in his team.

Following up on its threat to challenge any discipline in court, Michigan filed a request for a court order late on Friday. Earlier in the season, Harbaugh was suspended by the university for three games due to an unrelated NCAA violations case involving recruiting that is still pending; his team won all three games during that suspension.

PILMARK SIGNS

Football teams are not prohibited by NCAA or Big Ten rules from attempting to read each other’s play-calling signals. It is acknowledged that there will be observers on the sidelines searching for hints when teams face off.

Teams take great care to safeguard their signals, but it can be difficult to determine the precise value of possessing signals from another team. Since no-huddle offenses became the standard in college football, coaches claim it has spread like wildfire.

However, since not every school could afford to do it, the NCAA has clearly enforced rules prohibiting in-person, advanced scouting of opponents during the season. These rules date back to the mid-1990s. The NCAA forbids using electronic devices to record signals from opposing teams.

Punishments are very uncommon; in 2015, then-Baylor assistant Jeff Lebby received a public censure from the Big 12 Conference for his presence on the sidelines during an Oklahoma game. He received a one-half suspension as a Baylor penalty during their game against the Sooners.

In this instance, the Big Ten said that the NCAA had issued warnings to the league and the institution about the claims, which was an uncommon step, “because of the unprecedented scope of the then-alleged scheme.”

If teams still signal plays with signs, it may seem archaic, but this is because the NCAA has not yet approved coach-to-player audio technology, which is a common sight in the NFL. That is currently off-limits due to worries that not all schools would have fair systems in place.

THE MICHIGAN CASE

The allegations against Michigan center on a former low-level staffer, Connor Stalions, purchasing tickets to the games of future opponents and sending people to those games to record video of that team’s signals.

The Big Ten called it “an organized, extensive, years-long in-person advance scouting scheme,” backing up earlier media reports. In announcing the penalty, Petitti described a “master spreadsheet” that included sign-stealing assignments and “monetary amounts associated with certain assigned games.”

Multiple Big Ten schools say they found records of tickets purchased in Stalions’ name to their games and surveillance video of the people sitting in those seats pointing their phones toward the field.

Photos on the internet also suggest Stalions was on the Central Michigan sideline during the Sept. 1 game against Michigan State, wearing CMU gear and sunglasses. Central Michigan said it was working with the NCAA.

Just who tipped off NCAA investigators is among the unanswered questions.

STALIONS: WHO IS STALIONS?

Since 2022, Stalions has worked as a recruiting analyst for Michigan. He was described on Stalions’ social media accounts as a Naval Academy alumnus and ardent Michigan football supporter.

Soon after the NCAA and Big Ten announced that the school was under investigation, the university suspended him. After two weeks, he resigned, claiming through his attorney that neither Harbaugh nor any of his coaching staff had instructed anyone to violate any rules or had knowledge of any wrongdoing in relation to the recent advanced scouting allegations.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Now that Petitti has decided to punish Michigan — as plenty of coaches and administrators around the Big Ten suggested he should — the school awaits word from a judge on whether the penalty will be stayed.

Michigan argues that the commissioner lacks the authority to punish Harbaugh, particularly in light of the ongoing NCAA investigation. The Wolverines claim to have additional evidence that other Big Ten teams have broken the sportsmanship policy by pilfering signs in potentially illegal ways.

It’s unclear if that defense will hold up in court. As they “vehemently reject any defense by the university or any other conference member that cheating is acceptable because other teams do it too,” the Big Ten expresses their doubts that it will.