The University of Michigan has received the final version of a notice of allegations (NOA) from the NCAA in connection with the football program’s alleged sign-stealing and off-campus, in-person scouting scheme.
The official NOA comes three weeks after the school received a draft outlining the allegations and possible punishments for the scandal surrounding ex-staffer Connor Stalions. The draft named seven coaches and staff members, including former head coach Jim Harbaugh and new head coach Sherrone Moore.
“The NCAA can confirm that a Notice of Allegations has been distributed to the school and involved parties in the Michigan investigation,” the NCAA said in a statement Sunday, per the Associated Press. “To protect the integrity of the infractions process as the case progresses forward, the NCAA will not provide any further comment on the specifics included.”
It could still be a while until we see the final details regarding exact violations and punishments, however. The school now has 90 days to respond to the NOA, then the NCAA will have 60 days to reply, per NCAA rules.
The school could then be ordered to have a hearing in front of the NCAA’s committee on infractions. That hearing typically occurs about two months after the reply is filed, according to The Detroit News, and it could be another two to three months after that until the public infractions report is published.
When the draft NOA was received in early August ESPN reported that Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages he exchanged with Stalions. He allegedly deleted the messages on the day that media reports revealed Stalions was “leading an effort to capture the playcalling signals of future opponents,”
The messages were later recovered via “device imaging” and Moore "subsequently produced them to enforcement staff." Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation, according to the draft, while Stalions, Harbaugh, ex-linebackers coach Chris Patridge, and former assistant director of personnel Denard Robinson are all accused of committing Level 1 violations — the most serious category in the NCAA’s enforcement process.
"The school also faces a Level 1 violation charge, according to the draft, because of its 'pattern of noncompliance within the football program' and institutional efforts to hinder or thwart the NCAA's investigation," the early-August ESPN report said.
Two other former coaches are also reportedly accused of recruiting violations unrelated to Stalions, according to the report.
It was not immediately clear what, if anything, changed in the official NOA compared to the draft, though NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach reported “most of” it remained the same, other than Robinson and former coach Jesse Minter are working with the NCAA on a negotiated resolution, while the rest are going to the Committee of Infractions.
Harbaugh and Moore can be considered repeat offenders because of the NCAA's separate investigation for COVID-era recruiting violations.
That separate investigation wrapped up earlier this month as the NCAA slapped Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause and a one-year suspension, meaning if he were to return to college football within that four-year window, he would be ordered to serve a mandatory one-year suspension.
Stalions was initially placed on leave last fall when the news broke before he resigned from his position. He did not participate in the NCAA’s investigation, according to the AP.
Stalions is the focus of a Netflix documentary titled “Sign Stealer” set to be released on Tuesday.