The college football season is nearly upon us and as it’s set to begin, the University of Michigan is facing a lengthy list of penalties from the NCAA for its sign-stealing saga.
Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions organized the scheme over the course of three seasons before leaving the program in 2023 as the scandal became public.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to break down the penalties.
Doug Tribou: I want to note here that the University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license, but we cover the university as we would any other institution.
You and I haven't had a chance to talk on the air since the NCAA announced its ruling on the case, so I'm going to give a quick rundown of some of the notable penalties here.
Michigan football will be on probation for four years. There are multiple fines: a $50,000 fine, plus 10% of the football program budget; a fine that amounts to the postseason revenue sharing Michigan would have collected this season and next; and another fine that equals 10% of the scholarships awarded for football this academic year. There are also some recruiting restrictions.
What stands out to you the most?
John U. Bacon: The fines are probably the most eye-popping thing because $50,000 is no big deal, but basically the fines worked out to about $30 million.
DT: There are also a number of individual penalties handed out here. Michigan had already self-suspended current head coach Sherrone Moore for two games this season. The NCAA is adding a third game at the start of next season. Moore deleted a string of texts with Connor Stalions and because of that, the NCAA penalized him for not fully cooperating with the investigation.
There are a number of show-cause orders, including an eight-year order for Stalions and a 10-year order for former head coach Jim Harbaugh. A show-cause order means that any teams would have to demonstrate to the NCAA why it was necessary to hire one of these staff members. What do you make of all these individual penalties?
JUB: One, they really do not like Connor Stalions, and they really, really do not like Jim Harbaugh. And they're not that mad at Sherrone Moore because getting two games this season and one next is about what Michigan was willing to plea bargain for in the first place.
DT: Well, it's notable that Jim Harbaugh is under a show-cause order for a different case, and this one would start at the end of that. He's in one that's for four years now. And then you get another 10 years. Does that essentially rule out him coaching college again?
JUB: Perhaps. Probably not going to coach college again anyway. He is now 61 years old. He's got a full-time job with the L.A. Chargers. What does stand out, however, is this rule: NCAA bylaw, 11.6.1. You're allowed to steal signs in person during a game. You're allowed to steal signs through technology — if you're not at the game — like by film and so on. You're not allowed to do the third thing, which is what Connor Stalions did, take technology to a game in-person and try to get their signs, in this case, off your iPhone.
So it's a bit of a picayune distinction, perhaps, but not to the NCAA. The most incredible thing, Doug, is this did not seem to help them win any games. If you look at their schedule in 2023, when the NCAA announced that Michigan was doing the sign-stealing — before the Oct. 21 Michigan State game — that effectively ends [the scheme]. They get rid of Connor Stalions at that point, and they beat No. 10-[ranked] Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State, [No. 17] Iowa, No. 4 Alabama, No. 2 Washington, which tells you how stupid it is to even go down this road in the first place, because it didn't help them at all.
Don't hire a guy — Connor Stalions — who writes a 500-page manifesto in his free time about how he's going to turn around the Michigan football program when it's already turned around.
DT: But nonetheless, Connor Stalions was on the sidelines, was on the staff — not a high-ranking member of the staff — but he was there. Is it really fair to say that there was no advantage, or that no one believed there was an advantage to what he was doing?
JUB: Well, that's a Rorschach test. Obviously, Michigan's enemies think it's a huge advantage, but I'm looking at the stats, and they can break it down for how Michigan performed before and after the sign-stealing operation was in effect. And they played better without it. Now, having said all that, so what? It is a rule and Michigan certainly was aware of it. They knew they were breaking it, at least certainly Connor Stalions and his coterie did. And again, when they were approached by the NCAA, they did not do what they should do, which is fork over your cell phone and things like that. [Stalions] threw it in the lake. Michigan's still guilty no matter what the impact was.
Now the question is what should the punishment be? And that's when you get to your second Rorschach test. Charlie Baker, the NCAA president, said after the 2023 season, at the end of the day, no one believes at this point that Michigan did not win the national title fair and square. Well, that's certainly being debated right now at the NCAA.
The one thing we've not talked about, that Michigan did not get out of this, is the hammer coming down. Many thought that was going to be wins taken away and titles taken away. And that would have been pretty serious.
"[I]f Michigan players, coaches, fans could turn back the clock and not hire Connor Stalions, only one guy would disagree, and that's Connor Stalions."John U. Bacon
DT: The University of Michigan almost immediately announced plans to appeal the NCAA decision, saying it believes the Committee on Infractions misinterpreted some rules and overlooked some evidence favorable to Michigan. The statement concludes with this: "We will appeal this decision to ensure a fair result, and we will consider all other options." What do you make of that response, and do you think the NCAA will end up reducing any of these sanctions?
JUB: When they say they will consider all other options, that's kind of the the nuclear option, which is a lawsuit outside of the appeal process. My guess is the NCAA will probably reduce it some, maybe change some of the language of the ruling, and that will probably be the final outcome.
What the NCAA said in the report probably ticked off Michigan more than any actual ruling. They basically said, we're not going to charge you with murder, but we think you're guilty of murder. You walk free, but a lot of folks feel that Michigan's NCAA title is tainted.
In this muddied situation, one thing I think is for sure: if Michigan players, coaches, fans could turn back the clock and not hire Connor Stalions, only one guy would disagree, and that's Connor Stalions.
DT: [Laughs] Before I let you go, let's talk some baseball. The Tigers are finding all kinds of ways to win. They've got the most wins in the American League. On Monday, they beat the Astros 10-0. On Wednesday, they beat the Astros 7-2. In between that [on Tuesday], the Tigers beat the Astros in a walk-off, 10th-inning win with almost no offense. They scored the first run of the game on a bases-loaded... walk.
JUB: [Laughs] A walk-off walk, Doug!
DT: [Laughs] It's really the stuff of dreams. Walking off in extra innings is what you play in your backyard when you're a kid dreaming of making the majors.
JUB: [Laughs, imitates announcer] "And he walks him!"
DT: [Laughs] John, thanks a lot.
JUB: Doug, thank you.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full conversation near the top of this page.
As noted in the conversation above, the University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
