There is someone like this on every staff. There is not as blatant of usage on gameday like this on any other staff. It's a weird line to blur, but Harbaugh fucked up and needs to get the guillotine.
What should Michigan, the Big 10 and/or NCAA do regarding the "sign stealing" scandal at Michigan ??? Let me remind you that in May, 2011, Jim Tressel resigned as Head Coach of the OSU Buckeyes when the investigation details came out concerning players trading OSU memorabilia for tattoos. The NCAA then vacated Ohio State's wins from the 2010 season and placed the Buckeyes on probation and banned them from post-season play for 2012. That punishment was, basically, for players receiving improper compensation for Ohio State memorabilia and the NCAA's contention that Tressel lied during the investigation. I find it hard to believe that tattoos would improve a team's performance in a game. I also find it hard to believe that Jim Harbaugh (as he claims) had no knowledge of what appears to be an elaborate process that provided him and his coaching staff with the on field knowledge of what play their opponent was going to run.
The report he was fired came out first and was reported by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports... Later on Friday, Michigan claims he resigned. I guess if your Michigan and you fire the guy, you are in essence admitting something was done wrong. This statement has come out from Stalions attorney... “As he informed the school earlier today, Connor chose to resign because recent stories regarding his time with the University of Michigan have created a distraction for the team,” Beckworth said, via TheAthletic.com. “He hopes his resignation will help the team and coaching staff focus on tomorrow’s game and the remainder of the season. 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.” Stealing signs isnt a crime, but the in-person recruiting and the use of electronic equipment is, so Stalions who has been seen/filmed and well documented at places he shouldnt have been is quite damning. Michigan and Harbaugh really have some explaining to do and I doubt they say much as they try to cover their lying cheating butts.
Buckeyes improve to, 9-0 after 35-16 win at Rutgers. Missouri up, 7-3 on Georgia, 2nd. Washington at USC (Pennix vs Williams), they might put up a few points.
Stealing signs is as old as time, and happens everywhere. When I was playing high school ball (15+ years ago) my coach (an Ohio State Alum) had us use different verbiage on the field from game to game whenever possible. He taught us what he was taught / experienced, which is that all teams steal signs whenever and however they can. I don't know the specifics of this story any more than what was shared here, but the NCAA is as corrupt and conflicted an organization as they come. Expecting anything resembling actual fairness to come out of this, especially when compared to other decisions the NCAA has / hasn't made, is setting yourself up for disappointment. Let's all just root for good football whenever possible, and move on. Whatever the NCAA decides, it'll upset everyone, I'm sure. If this guy is out of the team / organization, then every team they play going forward should change their signs (as they should be doing anyway, honestly) and we should all hope that's the end of it. If you looked closely, you'd find a lot more than just Michigan doing this - and not a chance in hell the NCAA would handle that well, either.
Michigan urges Big Ten to respect due process, NCAA investigation Michigan president Santa Ono urged Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti to respect due process and the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program as Petitti mulls potential discipline for the Wolverines for alleged off-campus scouting and signal stealing, according to a letter obtained by ESPN. Ono emailed Petitti on Thursday night, in advance of their meeting Friday in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Petitti was attending the Big Ten field hockey tournament. Petitti and Ono discussed the allegations against Michigan, as well as the information Petitti has obtained from the NCAA, sources told ESPN. In the email, Ono noted that no program would want to be in Michigan's position and that he's "deeply concerned" about the allegations, adding the school is "committed to ethics, integrity, and fair play." But Ono encouraged Petitti to let the NCAA's investigative process play out before imposing discipline, which other Big Ten coaches and athletic directors have encouraged him to do. Ono also shared the email with the other Big Ten presidents and chancellors. Under the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy, Petitti has the authority to investigate and impose discipline independent of the NCAA's drawn-out investigative and infractions process, which likely would extend well after the 2023 season. The NCAA's investigation centers on former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions, who resigned from his position Friday after initially being suspended with pay. "It's precisely at these times -- when all key facts are not known but others are all too comfortable offering strongly held opinions -- that it is essential for everyone to ensure that investigations are conducted fairly and that conclusions are based on what actually happened," Ono wrote to Petitti. "The reputation and livelihoods of coaches, students, and programs cannot be sacrificed in a rush to judgment, no matter how many and how loudly people protest otherwise. Due process matters. "We, as would any other member of the Big10, deserve nothing less. Our students, our coaches, our program -- all are entitled to a fair, deliberate, thoughtful process." Ono referred to the pressure Petitti is facing from other Big Ten schools to impose discipline against Michigan. Petitti held calls this week with Big Ten coaches and athletic directors, many of whom pushed him to act, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel. "We are aware that other representatives of the Big10 are demanding that you take action now, before any meaningful investigation and full consideration of all the evidence," Ono wrote. "That is not something our conference rules permit. And we both know it is not what any other member would want if allegations were raised against their people or programs. "The Big10 has not informed us of any investigation of its own, as would be required under conference rules. And, to be clear, oral updates from NCAA enforcement staff do not and cannot constitute evidence, nor do we think the NCAA would ever intend for an oral update to be given that meaning or weight." Ono wrote that the "best course of action" would be to let the NCAA complete its investigation and that the Big Ten could not act against Michigan without launching its own probe first, which would give the university a chance to provide its position. The Big Ten's sportsmanship policy states that the league commissioner "has the discretion to pursue, or choose not to pursue, an investigation as to whether an offensive action has occurred." Sources told ESPN that if Petitti takes action, he likely would target Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh rather than a team-related penalty. If discipline exceeds a two-game suspension, Petitti would need approval from the Big Ten's Joint Group Executive Committee, which can approve, deny or reduce a proposed penalty. According to a source, Michigan will "look into every option to protect due process" if Petitti imposes discipline. ESPN ________ _______________ Michigan also knows that buying time right now is cool for them as they are vying for a spot in the CFP and a possible National Championship. That can still be taken away at a later date, just in my opinion, if Michigan is dirty on all this, they shouldnt be allowed to waste everybody's time. Also, an NCAA investigation could and probably take forever, probably way past the 2023 season. Big10 Comish, Petitti has the ability to speed this all up and Ono knows it.
Unfortunately, this is probably why he was fired instead of remaining suspended. They could fire him with a severance package along with a non-disclosure agreement which protects him and the university. Otherwise, as a current employee he would be obligated to cooperate with the investigation. This firing won’t help bring the issue to a close. (edit) firing/resignation makes no difference, the non-disclosure of incriminating evidence against the university and/or its employees can still be invoked. The bigger question at this time, was he smart enough to have every person he sent to games sign a similar agreement?
Im rooting for Washington. If they remain unbeaten and tOSU takes care of business, the playoffs will be off the table for the cheaters.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The Big Ten Conference banned Jim Harbaugh from coaching at Michigan's three remaining regular-season games on Friday, defying a warning from the second-ranked Wolverines in an extraordinary confrontation over an alleged sign-stealing scheme that has rocked college football. Harbaugh was disciplined by the conference less than 24 hours before the Wolverines play at No. 9 Penn State in their toughest matchup of the season so far. His team (9-0) has a shot to win a third straight Big Ten title and the school's first national championship since 1997. There was no immediate response from Michigan, whose planed landed in Pennsylvania shortly before the announcement. Michigan was prepared to take possible legal action if the conference punished the football program before a full investigation into the allegations. The NCAA and the Big Ten are both looking into the claims. Getting a court order could prove difficult before Saturday's game; Friday is the recognized federal holiday for Veteran’s Day and courts were closed. The Big Ten said the school had violated its sportsmanship policy by conducting “an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years” that resulted in “an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition.” As a result, the Big Ten said Michigan must play without Harbaugh against the Nittany Lions (8-1) this weekend, next week at Maryland and in the annual showdown game against rival and No. 3 Ohio State two weeks from now. While Harbaugh is allowed at practices and other activities, he cannot be “present at the game venue.”
MIAMI — College football has turned itself into a free-for-all. Schools hopping from one conference to another. Name, Image & Likeness deals inviting all sorts of underhandedness. The transfer portal bulging with players changing teams. Entire rosters remade in the Coach Prime model. Yet the sport, despite itself, is enjoying a season for the ages on the field with five teams a perfect 9-0 followed by six others at 8-1 — all trying to survive into the last four-team, pre-expansion College Football Playoff. Then there’s Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh in the middle of it all, the national stain on the season, its perfect record stinking. The presently No. 3-ranked Wolverines are a display of excellence and embarrassment in equal measure. If the mounting evidence of its cheating scandal involving stolen signals is as true as it appears, this is a university and football program that should be disqualified from competing in the CFP for a national championship. The reward of glory and a financial windfall is not deserved by any team found to have blatantly cheated. Evidence indicates Michigan in violation of rules scouted and stole opponents’ play signals in a scandal centered on a since-resigned football staffer named Connor Stalions. Cheating in sports is always ridiculous on the face of it, from the gall of its origin to its execution. The Houston Astros in 2017 conveyed stolen signs by banging on a trash can, low-tech espionage that helped them to a World Series win that should forever have an asterisk attached. Michigan had Stalions disguised as a Central Michigan staffer usurping information on a sideline during a game in a flourish of outlandishly brazen stupidity. An NCAA investigation advances at glacier speed but the Big Ten is moving quickly and already has notified Michigan of pending discipline for violation of its sportsmanship rules. (So it’s official, then. Stealing other teams’ signs to tip you off on whether a pass or run is coming — that’s unsportsmanlike, in case there were any doubt and you needed it codified.) Michigan in turn now claims that in 2022 Ohio State, Purdue and Rutgers shared its signs. It’s a diversionary tactic in the everybody-does-it category, and it is not expected to weigh in the Big Ten’s pending punishment. The problem here is that the expected punishment will not fit the crime. The Big Ten as soon as Thursday could suspend Harbaugh for two games and fine him $10,000, a proverbial slap on the wrist. (Harbaugh you’’ll recall already served a self-imposed three-game suspension to begin this season for unrelated violations.) First-year Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti could with executive board approval suspend Harbaugh for all three remaining regular season games, and should, but that still would not be enough. And any suspension is likely to be met with a legal challenge from Michigan and Harbaugh. Harbaugh pleads ignorance, says he had no idea Stalions was doing what he was doing. That stretches credulity to the snapping point, but even if you believe Harbaugh ignorance is no excuse. He’s the boss of Michigan football. It’s almost worse if this was going on without his knowledge. The NCAA’s phrase for that is “lack of institutional control.” It is why the NCAA could mete out punishment to the Michigan program in 2024, retroactive to current crimes. Meantime, if the only 2023 punishment is a two- or three-game suspension for Harbaugh, the real possibility exists that the CFP could include tainted Michigan among its four finalists. The Wolverines in that case could be playing for a national title in the place of a deserving school that did not cheat. The proper punishment still could come on a football field, though. Michigan plays at No. 10 Penn State this Saturday, then, after a game at Maryland, closes its regular season vs. No. 1 Ohio State on November 25 in a likely winner-take-all to reach the Big Ten championship game. So there are two real chances that Michigan might still lose and fall from the top four. It would feel like justice done. ©2023 Miami Herald.
The Big Ten has suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh from the field for the final three games of the 2023 season amid an ongoing NCAA investigation into an alleged sign-stealing operation orchestrated by former staffer Connor Stalions. The punitive measure from commissioner Tony Petitti falls under the conference's sportsmanship policy, which is not restricted by the same lengthy protocols and red tape that will likely carry the NCAA's investigation well into next year. "The University of Michigan has been found in violation of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Policy for conducting an impermissible, in-person scouting operation over multiple years, resulting in an unfair competitive advantage that compromised the integrity of competition," the conference wrote in a statement. "Big Ten Conference Agreement 10.01 states in part that 'The Big Ten Conference expects all contests involving a member institution to be conducted without compromise to any fundamental element of sportsmanship. Such fundamental elements include integrity of the competition, civility toward all, and respect, particularly toward opponents and officials.'" Michigan and/or Jim Harbaugh have planned legal action seeking a stay on the Big Ten's ruling, sources tell CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. Such action should come swiftly. While Harbaugh will be banned from on-site coaching Michigan during its final three games against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State, he will be allowed to attend practices and other "football team activities." Michigan president Santa Ono previously implored Petitti to wait for "due process" during the NCAA's probe before acting. "If you refuse to let the NCAA investigative process play out, the Big 10 may not take any action against the University or its players or coaches without commencing its own investigation and offering us the opportunity to provide our position," Ono wrote in a letter to Petitti obtained by multiple outlets. "That is not just required by our conference rules; it is a matter of basic fairness." Earlier this week, Michigan had issued a response to the Big Ten's notice of potential disciplinary action in which the school challenged the league's authority -- specifically that of the commissioner -- to hand down any sort of punishment. Michigan also reportedly included evidence of Ohio State and Rutgers sharing the Wolverines' signals with Purdue ahead of the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game. Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano have since denied those allegations. At the center of the NCAA's probe is Stalions, who was initially suspended by the program but later resigned on Nov. 3 ahead of the Wolverines' Week 10 game vs. Purdue. Stalions is alleged to have created and maintained a network of staffers and contractors to electronically record sidelines of future Michigan opponents to steal signals. Records show that Stalions purchased and distributed tickets at 12 Big Ten stadiums along with multiple potential College Football Playoff opponents. While sign-stealing is not in violation of any NCAA rules, in-person advance scouting and use of electronic devices to record signs is against the rules. Of interest to the NCAA and Big Ten is Harbaugh's role in the sign-stealing efforts. Harbaugh to this point has denied knowledge of Stalions' operation or the alleged sign-stealing ring. NCAA bylaws state that Harbaugh can still be punished even if it is determined he did not have prior knowledge of the violations. "I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter," Harbaugh said. "I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed staff members or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action." Harbaugh's suspension would be his second of the season. Michigan previously self-imposed a three-game ban for the coach related to misleading investigators during an NCAA investigation into illegal recruiting and coaching practices during the COVID-19 dead period. A negotiated settlement with the NCAA was rejected by the Committee on Infractions, meaning Harbaugh could still face further punishment in the case. Since the sign-stealing investigation became public, Michigan has defeated Michigan State and Purdue by a combined 90-13. In the wake of viral pictures surfacing allegedly showing Stalions on the Central Michigan sideline during Michigan State's opener against the Chippewas, the Spartans avoided using sideline signals. The following week, Boilermakers coach Ryan Walters said on his coaches show that he knew "for a fact" that a Michigan sign stealer was at "a number" of past games. CBS
Michigan is expected to respond with a legal action against the conference in an attempt to block Harbaugh's suspension. If I where the Michigan president, Id shut my mouth and take what they got. Im personally not cool with a 3 game suspension, big deal. The fact is, these cheaters might just be in line to win a National Championship and as it stands now, they will at least get a shot at it via the CFP. This is very soft, in my opinion and hopefully the NCAA provides some real justice. This situation is currently on-going and going very fast, so maybe news about more from the NCAA will come out sooner rather than later.
If they lose one game then they won’t be invited to the dance. They have to beat OSU in the conference championship
