If your mind is racing, you’re not alone, and here’s a rundown of a crazy day in the Michigan football sign-stealing probe.
We were all expecting things to heat up this week between Michigan football and the Big Ten over the sign-stealing inquiry.
First, there were some new findings about some of the other Big Ten programs’ sign-stealing.
According to Chris Balas of The Wolverine, Illinois football utilized “legally” stolen signals against Michigan in 2022.
A few hours later, Larry Lage of the Associated Press reported that several Big Ten colleges had Michigan signs and shared them.
“A former Big Ten football program employee said Monday that it was his job to steal signs and that he was given details from multiple conference schools before his team’s game against Michigan to compile a spreadsheet of play-calling signals used by the Wolverines last year.” After his school faced the Jim Harbaugh-led program in 2022, the employee stated he gave the records with Michigan, which showed the Wolverines’ signs and corresponding plays.”
This former Big Ten employee also has text exchanges with Lage to back it up.
“The person also passed along screenshots of text-message exchanges with staffers from a handful of Big Ten football teams with Michigan, giving the program proof that other conference teams were colluding to steal signs from the Wolverines.”
Rivals have properly claimed that signal stealing is not against the rules. It does, however, highlight the hypocrisy and pearl-clutching of Big Ten coaches last week, who pretended this was the worst scandal in sports history in order to demand punishment for Michigan.
The Big Ten is attempting to punish Jim Harbaugh, despite the fact that the NCAA has found no evidence that he was aware of what Connor Stallion was doing, according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.
“The NCAA’s findings do not connect the in-person scouting and recording of opponents’ sidelines to Harbaugh, sources say, an absence of evidence essential to a potential lawsuit from the school and coach against the league.”
The Big Ten has also issued a notice of allegations to Michigan football, according to Dellenger. The state of Michigan has 48 hours to respond.
Following that, the Big Ten could impose some type of punishment, but Dellenger writes that if that punishment is a suspension of Jim Harbaugh, Michigan will move to court, seeking a temporary restraining order that would let Harbaugh to continue coaching while the case is resolved in court.
