Michigan sign-stealing allegations: Wolverines downplay Connor Stalions' influence in response to Big Ten, per report
The situation at Michigan continues to take new turns, and another came Wednesday when the university sent a 10-page response to the Big Ten regarding possible disciplinary action from commissioner Tony Petitti. The investigation centered on Connor Stalions, a now-former analyst who announced his resignation late last week.
Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel reported the details of that response. In the document, Michigan questioned the impact of Stalions’ “observations” and what they had on the “integrity of competition.”
Considering Stalions said other coaches such as Jim Harbaugh didn’t know what was going on, Michigan further wondered what kind of impact his efforts had on games.
“It is highly dubious that a junior analyst’s observations about the other side’s signals would have had a material effect on the integrity of competition — particularly when, according to present evidence, the other coaches did not know the basis for those observations,” the university wrote, via Dellenger.
Stalions allegedly purchased tickets to multiple Big Ten teams and possible College Football Playoff opponents’ games as part of the scheme. According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Johnson, Stalions boasted about stealing signs as he compiled what became known as the “Michigan Manifesto.”
Stalions announced his resignation late Friday night ahead of Michigan’s game against Purdue. He released a statement through his lawyer saying Harbaugh didn’t know what was going on and didn’t tell anyone to break rules as part of the scheme.
More on Michigan’s response to the Big Ten
Michigan pointed out multiple documents and pictures of the Wolverines’ own offensive and defensive signs that were stolen by other teams. Reports came out Tuesday that multiple programs decoded Michigan’s signals and shared that information with other programs. In addition, the university said “unadjudicated rule violations cannot be the basis for a sportsmanship action,” Wetzel wrote.
UM also argued Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti doesn’t have the authority to punish Jim Harbaugh under the league’s sportsmanship policy and that disciplinary action would be “highly disproportionate given the broader regulatory context of the case” at this time, according to Wetzel.
In its letter, Michigan claimed the Big Ten is acting prematurely. Because the NCAA hasn’t come up with “significant evidence,” the university said the conference is relying on “summaries and descriptions of evidence,” Wetzel reported. Michigan also aregued the Big Ten had so little evidence, the conference had very little proof of any wrongdoing by Stalions.
Because the university said the conference provided so little evidence, “Michigan has no ability to dispute the allegations at this time.”
On top of that, Michigan noted its margin of victory went from 34 points to 38 points after Stalions resigned. The Wolverines beat Purdue 41-13 the day after he announced his resignation.
“There is simply no evidence that Stalions’s actions had a material effect on any of Michigan’s games this season,” the letter read, via Wetzel.
Michigan has threatened legal action as a result of the situation, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported, and Dellenger said this could be a part of that process. The university argued Petitti isn’t following due process, as stated in the conference handbook, and is “bootstrapping unproven rules violations through the Sportsmanship Policy.”