Desmond Howard disappointed in Michigan sign-stealing investigation, believes Warde Manual will find answers
Michigan is having a great season on the field as the Wolverines are currently unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll. However, off the field, Jim Harbaugh‘s program appears to be in some trouble. The NCAA is currently investigating Michigan for an alleged elaborate sign-stealing scheme that has been going on for the past few years.
ESPN College GameDay analyst Desmond Howard, who starred at Michigan during his playing days, shared his disappointment with what is happening with the program during GameDay on Saturday morning.
“The most disappointing thing as a former player, it’s disappointing to see your program go through this, but the flip side of this is it takes so much attention away from what’s going on on the field,” Howard said. “Like these players are having an outstanding season, and we will sit here and talk eight to nine minutes about Connor [Stalions] and what he’s allegedly did, or was doing, and I think it’s unfair to the players. They’re playing their butts off.”
Connor Stalions is at the center of the investigation, and according to reports, hired people to go to games and video future opponents’ sidelines to get signals for upcoming Michigan opponents.
Howard also offered his thoughts on Stalions, who is a low-level staffer with the Michigan program. Stalions is currently suspended.
“He admitted himself that he first started stealing signs – I don’t think you’d call it stealing signs – like you decode signs that you see from television. That’s how he started,” Howard said. “This is a guy who had a big obsession with becoming Michigan’s head coach. He wrote like a 500-page manifesto on his plan to become Michigan’s head coach. Then he went out and served this obsession by hiring other people to now, I guess, allegedly to steal signs.”
It remains to be seen if Jim Harbaugh was involved or aware of what was happening, and to date, no punishment has been delivered to Harbaugh or the program.
Whether Harbaugh remains the head coach at Michigan or not, Howard feels good about the future of Michigan football.
“AD Warde Manual, he’s a guy who’s one of the best in the country. He’ll be able to help get to the bottom of this because he’s a former player. He takes this personally,” Howard said. “He’s going to help, not only get to the bottom of this but steer this program where it needs to go.”
Finally, Howard said that future opponents have no excuse for losses now that the word is out that Michigan was stealing signs.
“If there’s a silver lining, now, moving forward, there’s no excuses. There’s no excuses,” Howard said. “For everybody they play now, it is what it is. So I want to see how they perform – Purdue, Penn State, Maryland, Ohio State. No excuses.”