As Michigan is in the crosshairs of another NCAA investigation for allegedly sign-stealing and scouting other teams in-person, a new report on Wednesday suggests it began after an outside investigative firm approached the NCAA with evidence it got from Michigan-run computers.
A report from the Washington Post’s Will Hobson says the firm, which was not named, approached the NCAA with documents and videos it reportedly obtained from computer drives “maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches.” The Post’s story calls the documents videos “evidence that suggests the scandal’s impact could broaden beyond the suspension of one low-level assistant.”
Anonymous sources in the report did not disclose who hired the firm that brought the evidence to the NCAA.
Big Ten Conference officials confirmed last week the NCAA is investigating allegations that the program has been stealing opponents’ signs via recording devices and scouting opponents in-person. Connor Stalions, a reported “low-level staffer” for the Wolverines was suspended last week after the allegations came to light.
A report from ESPN earlier this week alleged Stalions bought tickets to at least 30 games of future Michigan opponents. The report claimed video evidence would be submitted to the NCAA this week.
Wednesday’s Washington Post story claims the outside investigative firm found evidence that Michigan football “has been using a sign-stealing operation involving both in-person scouting as well as video-recording coaches,” since at least last season.
While NCAA rules do not expressly prohibit sign-stealing, the association does prohibit video-recording opposing coaches as well as in-person scouting of upcoming opponents — both of which the firm accuses Michigan of doing.
The report says Stalions “played a major role in overseeing and coordinating sign-stealing efforts… but the firm’s evidence suggested he wasn’t acting alone.” The firm, however, has not provided any evidence directly linking head coach Jim Harbaugh to the operation.
Among the evidence presented by the firm, according to the report, was “a detailed schedule of Michigan’s planned sign-stealing travel for the rest of this season, listing opponents’ schedules, which games Michigan scouts would attend and how much money was budgeted for travel and tickets to scout each team.”
The report claims the most-targeted opponent on the schedule was Ohio State, with scouts planning to attend as many as eight games, costing more than $3,000 in travel on tickets. The firm also alleges Michigan planned to scout potential College Football Playoff opponent Georgia four or five times, also surpassing the $3,000 mark, according to the Washington Post.
In total, the alleged operation had planned to spend more than $15,000 on 40 games spanning 10 opponents this season, according to the Post.
Other evidence the firm reportedly presented to the NCAA includes photos of people the investigators "believed to be Michigan scouts in action — including current students interning with the football team."
In the photos, those people are allegedly seated at games of future Michigan opponents this season, "aiming their cellphones at the sidelines," the report says. "Days later, the outside firm told the NCAA, cellphone videos depicting the coaching staffs from these games were uploaded to a computer drive maintained and accessed by Stalions as well as several other Michigan assistants and coaches."
Hobson’s full story on the alleged sign-stealing scheme can be read on the Washington post website.
