Big Ten Suggests to NCAA That Michigan Has Been Punished Enough for Sign Stealing

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions suggesting that Michigan‘s football program should not face more sanctions stemming from a sign-stealing scheme, according to two people familiar with the situation.

They spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because no one is authorized to comment on an ongoing NCAA investigation.

Petitti’s letter was shared during last month’s hearing because he was unable to attend while recovering from hip surgery, Big Ten Deputy Commissioner Diane Dietz said.

ESPN was first to report some details of Petitti’s letter.

The NCAA alleged last year in a notice relating to its sign-stealing investigation that current coach Sherrone Moore violated rules as an assistant under former coach Jim Harbaugh, who served a three-game suspension in exchange for the conference dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court.

After winning the 2023 national championship, Harbaugh left for the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.

Moore was also accused of deleting text messages with sign-stealer Connor Stalions before they were recovered and provided to the NCAA. Moore has said he has and will continue to cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation.

The NCAA investigation surfaced early in the 2023 season amid allegations that Michigan used a robust in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation conducted by Stalions, a former low-level staffer. He was suspended by the school and later resigned. Stalions, who did not participate in the NCAA investigation, recently said he knew almost every signal that opponents used in seven games over two seasons.

Michigan is prepared to suspend Moore for two games during the coming season. The NCAA will decide if that self-imposed sanction is enough to address allegations that Moore failed to cooperate in an investigation.

The governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision.

The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and at Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6.

[MORE: Has The Big Ten Overtaken The SEC as The Most Dominant College Football Conference?]

Harbaugh was suspended by the Huge Ten, three weeks after an investigation by the NCAA into the allegations started. Hours later, Michigan requested a courtroom for an injunction and momentary restraining order and the 2 sides narrowly averted a courtroom listening to. Harbaugh has repeatedly denied any involvement with Stalions’ obvious scheme.

The NCAA doesn’t have guidelines towards stealing indicators, however does prohibit faculties from sending scouts to the video games of future opponents and utilizing digital gear to document one other staff’s alerts.

A number of Huge Ten faculties had information displaying ticket purchases underneath Stalions’ identify and video surveillance footage of individuals in these seats with cell telephones pointed towards the sphere.

Huge Ten coaches and athletic administrators beforehand pushed Petitti to punish Harbaugh earlier than the NCAA concluded its investigation. 

When the Huge Ten did droop Harbaugh, Michigan claimed the commissioner overstepped his authority and acted exterior the convention’s bylaws.

Athletic director Warde Manuel launched a scathing assertion simply earlier than Michigan kicked off at Penn State and gained 24-15 with out Harbaugh on the sideline.

“Not liking somebody or one other college or believing with none proof that they knew or saying somebody ought to have identified with out an investigation isn’t grounds to take away somebody from their place earlier than the NCAA course of has reached a conclusion by way of a full NCAA investigative course of,” Manuel mentioned then.

The NCAA beforehand put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the varsity and carried out recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated decision in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from teaching college football for 4 years.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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