Michigan receives NOA over ‘Signgate' — the latest
Michigan has received the Notice of Allegations from the NCAA over alleged sign stealing, and it’s “quite similar” to the NOA Draft we first reported on at the end of July.
Only one current member of the staff — Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore — was named in the NOA Draft, and that’s not expected to change — while former head coach Jim Harbaugh, former LBs coach Chris Partridge, former staffer Denard Robinson, and Connor Stalions are accused of Level 1s. Moore was reportedly facing a Level 2 for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with Stalions in October 2023, the day the Stalions sign stealing allegations broke.
“We’re cooperating with the NCAA fully, have in the past, will in the future and will continue to do that,” Moore said a few weeks ago when meeting the media. “Right now, it’s an ongoing case and we need to preserve the confidentiality of the proceedings.
… “I look forward to [the texts] being released. That’s it.”
There had been talk of a short suspension for Moore, but no punishment is expected anytime soon. The school has 90 days to respond in writing to the NOA, and the NCAA will then have 60 days to reply to the response. A hearing with the Committee of Infractions should occur within a few months after the reply.
As reported initially, there has been no talk of vacating wins or championships. However, the draft indicated the Michigan program also faces a Level 1 violation charge due to a “pattern of noncompliance within the football program” and institutional efforts to hinder or thwart the NCAA’s investigation.
The NCAA’s initial threats of punishment included what insiders said was “massive overreach,” which they also felt was evident in Harbaugh’s one-year ban and four-year show cause for contact with recruits during a dead period. There’s been no talk of severe punishment since, and those close to it expect negotiations with the NCAA to continue … they also expect Michigan to fight if there proposed penalties are too strong.
Former defensive coaches Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale were mentioned for other recruiting violations separate from the sign stealing investigation. Minter and Robinson are reportedly negotiating with the NCAA on a resolution, but the rest of the charges are expected to go before the infractions committee. Harbaugh and Moore are also subject to “repeat offender” status due to their suspensions from the last NOA.
While many believe the NCAA could come down hard on Harbaugh again, few think it results in severe punishment for Moore.
Watch for more on these developments in the hours and days to come …
