Pete Thamel on NCAA investigation into Michigan sign-stealing: 'This is a lot more than a cheeseburger'

The sign-stealing allegations levied against Michigan football this week could be quite serious, ESPN’s Pete Thamel said on Thursday on SportsCenter. And Thamel noted this case is likely a bigger deal than the supposed cheeseburger that led to head coach Jim Harbaugh being suspended three games by the school to start 2023.

Specific details of the alleged sign stealing are yet to come out, and the practice itself isn’t forbidden — albeit certain coaches have more stomach for it than others. However, the fact that the NCAA and Big Ten have been made aware and notified Michigan’s future opponents is a signal to Thamel that this isn’t just behind-the-scenes gripes.

“I think the key thing about this investigation is the separation between legal sign stealing which happens every week in high school, college and NFL stadiums around the country and what’s being alleged here, which is an illicit sign stealing, whether that’s sign stealing from opposition stadiums, going into stadiums of future opponents and stealing their signs, whether that’s using video tape. The NCAA and Big Ten did not release specifics but there’s a clear line of delineation when you have the school confirming an investigation and the Big Ten Conference saying one of its lynchpin members is under investigation, that this has been raised to a serious level,” Thamel said.

And with Michigan fielding a legitimate national title contender while Harbaugh is already under the specter of one NCAA investigation — the school’s punishment might not hold off further NCAA penalties in the first violations case — Thamel noted the news for what it is: Bad for Michigan and Harbaugh.

And though the NCAA infractions process is slow, arduous and unlikely to produce a result in any sort of timely fashion to have an effect on this current season, it’s another bit of controversy — and potentially quite serious controversy — surrounding Harbaugh and Co. in 2023.

“And quite frankly, it’s bad news for Jim Harbaugh right now. He’s already under NCAA investigation. There was a trope that that was about a cheeseburger, the recruiting investigation that Michigan was under that cost him a self-imposed three games to start the season. This is a lot more than a cheeseburger,” Thamel said. “This cuts to the core of competition and the fact that it’s been raised to this level and the Big Ten itself has publicized it really brings this to a serious concern at a time when Jim Harbaugh has a national title contender on the field.”