Michigan had no talks about a football postseason ban relating to sign-stealing scandal

Michigan football still awaits a final report on the NCAA investigation into its alleged sign-stealing operation.

Where things stand as Michigan football awaits official word from the NCAA probe into its alleged sign-stealing scheme / Brad Mills-Imagn Images

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said he has not had any formal conversations within the NCAA about its football program facing a possible postseason ban stemming from the probe into claims of impermissible scouting.

Michigan has received a notice of allegations covering the alleged sign-stealing operation run by former football staffer Connor Stalions, and filed a formal response in January.

“I have not had any conversation about postseason bans or penalties that are coming,” Manuel said to 247Sports. “What I can point to is that Charlie Baker, when we won the championship, said they won it fair and square.”

He added: “That’s something I can say that gives me some sense that they understand that this was a team who won that championship fair and square. I look at that, and as we move forward, we’ll see how it goes.”

Manuel said that he expects the NCAA will issue its final report into the matter by the end of this summer before the football season.

Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for three games late in 2023 following the conference’s own investigation into the sign-stealing allegations.

He returned to ultimately lead the Wolverines to a College Football Playoff national championship against Washington before leaving the program for the NFL.

At the time, NCAA chief Charlie Baker said that Michigan’s national title was legit.

“At the end of the day, no one believes at this point that Michigan didn’t win the national title fair and square,” he said after the title game.

In its response to the NCAA probe, Michigan accused the body of overreach despite a perceived lack of evidence, and that Stalions attended just one of the 52 games involving Wolverines football opponents that were allegedly scouted.

Michigan contends that much of Stalions’ scouting was achieved through legal methods that did not give the football program an unfair advantage over its opponents.

Now Michigan waits to see if the NCAA agrees and, if not, what they'll do about it.

(247)

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