Big Ten Conference releases statement about NCAA investigation into Michigan
The Big Ten confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the NCAA investigation into Michigan football for alleged sign stealing via impermissible surveillance and said it had informed the Wolverines’ future opponents. The league was notified about the investigation by the NCAA on Wednesday night.
Michigan plays in-state rival Michigan State on Saturday, along with four other Big Ten opponents in the remainder of the regular season. The league stated that the competitive integrity of games is a chief concern.
“Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program. The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time,” the statement said.
It is also the second NCAA investigation into Michigan football, currently, as the Wolverines have been under the specter of a number of violations stemming to rules violations during the Covid-19 dead period, among other things.
Michigan released a statement on the matter via a spokesperson shortly after news broke.
“The university has been notified by the NCAA, along with the Big Ten, that the NCAA is investigating allegations of play signal stealing by Michigan football. The university is fully cooperating with the Big Ten and NCAA. The investigation is ongoing and will not impact Saturday’s game. At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community,” the statement said.
Michigan allegedly sent scouts to learn signals of opponents
The NCAA is reportedly investing the Michigan football program for alleged rule violations relating to sign stealing, Yahoo! Sports reported on Thursday afternoon.
The rule in question pertains to scouting future opponents in person, with the rule stipulating “off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”
According to Yahoo! Sports, the NCAA notified the Big Ten Conference that it was conducting an investigation into Michigan’s actions.
The Yahoo! Sports report notes the following about the investigation:
“Teams are normally provided extensive video footage to scout opponents. At issue, according to sources, is whether Michigan is using unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.”