Report: Man paid by Connor Stalions reveals role in Michigan sign-stealing scandal

A former Division III football player and head coach told ESPN’s Dan Murphy he was paid by Michigan analyst Connor Stalions to film Big Ten opponents. It’s the latest development in the ongoing scandal, which saw Stalions receive a suspension last week pending the results of an NCAA investigation.

The man said he was paid “a couple hundred dollars” and received a ticket to a Michigan home game to record future opponents. He also said he went to three Big Ten games over the last two years to film opposing teams’ sidelines with his iPhone, and uploaded the photos to a shared album. However, he said he didn’t know who else could access it.

The man said he went to games at Rutgers and Penn State last season in addition to the Penn State vs. UMass game this year. However, he didn’t stay the entire time due to bad weather. He was also planning to be at Saturday’s game between Penn State and Indiana, but is no longer planning to go.

As the man told ESPN, he was worried about the plan “to a degree” when he was asked to film the sidelines. Ultimately, he agreed because he thought it’d fall within what the NCAA allows as far as sign-stealing goes.

“I didn’t like it, but it’s a gray line,” the man told ESPN. “You can call me naive, but no one is reading the bylaws. I’m not a contractual lawyer. … I just felt like if you’re not doing it, you’re not trying to get ahead.”

When attending opposing teams’ games, the man said he received $1,000 from Stalions’ personal Venmo account to help cover his travel expenses and as payment for taking the time.

Stalions is at the center of an NCAA inquiry into the allegations, which include scouting future opponents in-person — violation a nearly 30-year-old rule — and filming opposing teams’ sidelines. Multiple reports said he bought tickets to a list of future opponents, both in the Big Ten and on the non-conference slate, and filmed the sidelines.

On Thursday, Yahoo! Sports’ Ross Dellenger reported teams were aware of what was going on at Michigan regarding sign-stealing. In fact, TCU got word of it prior to the College Football Playoff and developed dummy signals to use in the game, which the Horned Frogs won 51-45.

The NCAA was on Michigan’s campus this week to ask questions, as well, according to The Wolverine’s Chris Balas and ESPN’s Pete Thamel.