REPORT: Michigan Football Staffer At Center Of NCAA Investigation
Just hours after news broke that the NCAA was investigating Michigan for stealing opponent signals, there's new reporting that puts one Michigan staffer at the heart of the investigation. Late on Thursday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA investigation centers around Connor Stalions, a football analyst who's currently a member of Harbaugh's staff.
Connor Stalions, a football analyst with the Wolverines and a retired captain in the United States Marine Corps, is a person of interest in the investigation into whether No. 2-ranked Michigan violated an NCAA rule by scouting future opponents in person at games, sources said. The NCAA prohibited such scouting in 1994.
Sources said the NCAA enforcement staff's level of interest in Stalions is so significant it sought access to his computer as part of its investigation. Sources indicated that the process is underway, although it's uncertain what investigators will find.
According to Thamel's source, the Michigan Football program has been utilizing an "elaborate" scouting system to steal signals from future opponents dating back to at least the 2021 season.
On Thursday, the Big Ten conference released a statement indicating that it had reached out to Michigan State University and other future Michigan opponents to discuss the investigation.
"Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan Football program," the statement read. "The Big Ten conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten conference considers the integrity of the competition to be of the utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The conference will have no further comment at this time."
The latest investigation puts Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh squarely in the NCAA's crosshairs once again, and it's clear that Harbaugh - as he did with the previous investigation - vehemently denies what his program is being accused of.
"I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter," wrote Harbaugh. "I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action. I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.
No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.
Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place."
As Thamel notes in his report, NCAA Bylaw 11.1.2.1 says that a coach is "presumed to have knowledge of what is occurring in his program and, therefore, can be responsible for the actions of his staff and individuals associated with the program."
The University of Michigan is expected to be made aware of the evidence within the coming days, which should hopefully bring some additional clarity to the allegations. We'll continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they come.
