Former Ohio State Buckeyes Star Sounds Off on Michigan's Punishment by NCAA

Cardale Jones did not like the precedent set by the NCAA.

Mar 23, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud talks to former quarterback Cardale Jones during the football pro day at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in Columbus, Ohio. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-Imagn Images | Columbus Dispatch-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Ohio State Buckeyes had to put up with the Michigan Wolverines cheating for years, and the NCAA ended its investigation and released its report on the matter recently.

The Wolverines, who were caught stealing opponents' signs ahead of the game in which they would face them, do face a stiff fine and multiple show-cause violations (which really won't impact much for their former leader, who is now an NFL head coach), but that barely scratches the surface of what the NCAA could have done.

Some expected a hammer punishment that could've included vacated wins or even the taking away of the recent national championship they won under Jim Harbaugh in 2023. Another program-breaking punishment could've been giving the Wolverines a playoff ban for the foreseeable future. That seemed to be avoided so as to not punish current players who had nothing to do with the sign-stealing situation. However, none of that happened, and now a fine and some show-cause penalties are really all that they were hit with.

Former Ohio State star quarterback Cardale Jones wasn't happy.

"So a slap on the wrist for cheating at its highest level. What Michigan did is a slight step below on players using PEDs. No place for cheating in any level of sports, what a joke," Jones wrote on X.

You can see what Jones said and also what the Wolverines were sentenced with below.

So a slap on the wrist for cheating at its highest level. What Michigan did is a slight step below on players using PEDs. No place for cheating in any level of sports, what a joke @NCAA https://t.co/0zMtGRK5w7

— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) August 15, 2025

While Jones was never an elite starter for the Buckeyes, he's a name every fan is familiar with because of his run in the 2014 playoffs.

Jones then started in 2015 and ended with 1,460 yards and 8 touchdowns in 10 games. During his 2014 late-season starting stint, he threw for 257 and 3 touchdowns against the Wisconsin Badgers in a 59-0 routing for the Big Ten Championship, and he then took down Alabama and Oregon in the first College Football Playoff.

Jones technically went on to play in the NFL but didn't manage much of a career at the highest level in the sport. He ended with just 96 yards and one interception with the Buffalo Bills in 2016.

That said, Jones is absolutely right. The Michigan punishment didn't sting much and did provide a rationale for others to avoid cheating in the future. But, the NCAA had to do what was right in the eyes of all and best for its future as well.

This was it.