The scope of the sign-stealing scandal in the Michigan football program is growing, as ESPN reported Monday Conor Stalions – the suspended staffer allegedly at the center of the scandal – purchased a large number of tickets to other Big Ten teams’ games in recent years.
Specifically, Stalions is alleged to have bought tickets in his own name for more than 30 games at 11 different Big Ten schools, according to sources at 11 different schools, the report says. None of those games involved Michigan.
As the NCAA investigates allegations that Michigan has not only been stealing other teams’ signs but also scouting in-person, the NCAA is “expected to receive video evidence this week of illegal technology used in scouting tied to tickets purchased by Stalions,” according to ESPN.
The report alleges Stalions would buy tickets and forward them to at least three different people in different parts of the country. The other people allegedly involved have not been identified.
One Big Ten school reportedly reviewed in-stadium surveillance footage from a game earlier this year and found a person in a seat purchased by Stalions “held his smartphone up and appeared to film the home team's sideline the entire game,” according to the report.
Stalions was suspended with pay last week, shortly after reports began surfacing that the Wolverines’ program was under investigation for an “elaborate” in-person scouting scheme.
This probe comes in the midst of another NCAA investigation into the program, alleging Michigan violated recruiting rules during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
While sign-stealing is not against NCAA rules, the ESPN report says “this type of coordinated and orchestrated capturing of signals looms as distinctly different allegations than the gamesmanship of attempting to decode signals from across the sideline.”
Under an NCAA rule established in 1994, it is illegal to scout in opposing stadiums. Michigan also allegedly violated Article 11 subsection H of the NCAA rule book, which states "any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited."
It is not clear who was funding Stalions’ alleged ticket purchases.
The extent of the punishment Michigan and head coach Jim Harbaugh could be facing in regards to this investigation is not clear, as ESPN reports “NCAA enforcement has never seen a case of this scope in signal stealing.”
However, Harbaugh could potentially be facing strict punishment as NCAA rules "essentially state the head coach is responsible for everything that happens in his program, whether they are aware of it or not," according to the report.