Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions is the center of the investigation into Michigan's potential use of third-party individuals to advance scout future opponents. Stalions purchased tickets in his name and then transferred them to individuals to attend the games. Those individuals would reportedly record the team's sidelines to capture a team's signs. Stealing signs is not against any rules, and as we have learned in recent weeks, multiple teams in the Big Ten had Michigan's signs in 2022, and Ohio State was using stolen signs of Michigan's back in 2018.
What makes Michigan's scandal different is the in-person recording. We've learned by seeing the stolen signs sheets used by other schools that entire signs can be stolen and coordinated to plays using broadcast and all-22 footage.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh has stated from the start that he was unaware of any of the activities Stalions is being accused of. The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh under its sportsmanship policy despite the NCAA stating they had found no connection to Harbaugh or other coaches. More evidence to that point was released by the AP today.
Through a FOIA request to the University of Michigan, the AP has learned that Connor Stalions filed zero expense reports in his time as an employee at Michigan. That means the reported $15,000 budget outlined in a spreadsheet that belonged to Stalions, was not paid for by Michigan. Another major point in whether the knowledge of these activities went beyond Stalions.
AP: Ex-Michigan staffer Connor Stalions did not file any expense reports, AP’s FOIA request finds
Again, we know from seeing the sheets used by other programs that signs can be stolen with the technology available, a big reason the NCAA called the rule outdated and said that it provided "little to no advantage." It is highly plausible that coaches assumed Stalions was getting the same information the same way other program's sign stealers were.
The NCAA has budgets and plans for coordinating this scheme by Stalions. That information was also given to the Big Ten and was part of their decision to punish Michigan and Harbaugh.
Michigan, Harbaugh, and the Big Ten have a scheduled court hearing Friday, as Michigan seeks an injunction against the Big Ten and its actions in suspending Harbaugh. If awarded, Harbaugh could return to the sidelines Saturday against Maryland, if not, he will continue to be suspended through next week's game against Ohio State. There is also potential for a negotiated deal between the parties.
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