Michigan president Santa Ono addresses support amid sign-stealing investigation

The last few days have been eventful for Michigan, as the Wolverines were able to beat their first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday with a 24-15 win over Penn State to remain undefeated on the season.

The Wolverines secured the win without their head coach Jim Harbaugh, who was serving a suspension amid Michigan’s current sign-stealing investigation that’s become one of the most fascinating off-the-field storylines in recent college football history.

While Michigan has been able to handle business on the field, off the field it’s been a rollercoaster for the program. And following their win on Saturday, Michigan president Santa Ono spoke on the support he’s receiving during the program’s troublesome times surrounding their current circumstances.

Countless members of the University of Michigan family have reached out to me over the weekend and I wanted to express my appreciation. Like any community, we face our share of challenges and adversity. There have been many such moments in our history. But as our team showed so…

— Santa Ono (@SantaJOno) November 12, 2023

“Countless members of the University of Michigan family have reached out to me over the weekend and I wanted to express my appreciation,” Ono tweeted on Sunday. “Like any community, we face our share of challenges and adversity. There have been many such moments in our history. But as our team showed so clearly yesterday, we will respond to any challenge head on with a conviction to do better and to emerge even stronger. Go Blue!”

Michigan’s sign-stealing accusations were presented to the Big Ten and Michigan on October 18, centered around Wolverines’ staffer Connor Stalions who reportedly stole signals from Michigan’s opponents illegally by attending their games and using prohibited electronics to document opponent’s signals.

Stalions has since been suspended and resigned, parting ways with the program. And even though the NCAA’s investigation is still ongoing, the Big Ten took action and suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season the day before their matchup with the Nittany Lions.

Harbaugh’s suspension has seemingly become a rallying point for the Wolverines program, with multiple players responding to the adverse situation and interim head coach Sherrone Moore providing an emotional post-game interview centered around the suspension of their head coach.

Some may view Ono’s message as dramatic, as the Wolverines remain 10-0 on the season with their head coach serving his second suspension of the year following a self-imposed three-game suspension to start the season for allegations of NCAA recruiting violations.

But the Wolverines seemed to have adopted and embraced their us against the world mentality, even with ‘Michigan vs. Everybody’ apparel to commemorate this moment in time, and it will surely continue to be interesting to see how the Wolverines continue to respond both on and off the field amid their sign-stealing allegations.