Michigan under investigation by NCAA

It’s been smooth sailing for the Michigan Wolverines’ football team thus far, as they are off to a perfect 8-0 start to the 2023 college football season. They notched at least 30 points in every contest and only allowed four total touchdowns during the first half of the year. Unsurprisingly, as the second ranked ball club in the country, the Wolverines are expected to remain in the college football playoff mix for the entirety of the regular season. The only problem is, well…. they’ve recently been compared to the Houston Astros for one painfully obvious reason.

You see, the NCAA is currently investigating Michigan’s football program for alleged sign stealing, per the Big Ten Conference. According to an ESPN article written about the subject, “The allegations against Michigan appear to transcend the normal coach griping about opposing coaches stealing signals, as the depth of the allegations — and the Big Ten’s on-record affirmation of an investigation — hint at something much more significant.” The author then added that it’s “worse than both the Astros and the Patriots — it’s both use of technology for a competitive advantage and there’s allegations that they are filming prior games, not just in-game. If it was just an in-game situation, that’s different. Going and filming somewhere you’re not supposed to be. It’s illegal. It’s too much of an advantage.”

Jim Harbaugh, who was involved in the Michigan recruiting violations back in 2020 and served a three-game suspension to start the season (self-imposed by university), has now opened up the door for additional punishment at the conclusion of the NCAA’s investigation. When Michigan faced off against Rutgers in Ann Harbor in September, Greg Schiano gave an awkward halftime interview that opened plenty of eyes in the college football world. When asked about his team’s struggles on the field, the Rutgers head coach stated that “some things are going on that aren’t right”, which was likely a reference to Michigan’s in-game sign stealing technique.

Former Marine Corp and current Michigan football analyst, Connor Stallions, was suspended by the University on Friday after being named a person of interest in the case. Allegedly, Stallions ordered individuals to scout the Wolverines’ upcoming opponents in an unethical manner. The main goal was to obtain clear footage of these opponents using sideline signals during games, and Stallions is believed to be the leader of this operation. This form of scouting has been prohibited by the NCAA since 1994, but Jim Harbaugh attempted to clear his name by insisting that he had no knowledge of the incident. So, how hard will the NCAA come down on Michigan when it’s all said and done? Well, I have no clue to tell you the truth, but I’m fairly certain that they’ll be closely monitoring the Wolverines’ football program moving forward.