No end in sight to Michigan sign-stealing drama
By: Adam Gorney - Rivals.comThe Michigan sign-stealing saga rolls into another week and to catch you up on all the latest developments would take an entire media organization dedicated to only this topic since what’s happening in Ann Arbor changes by the minute.
Connor Stalions, the alleged perp in the operation, resigned – or was he fired? – since both have been reported. So that part of it is over, thankfully.
Monday was supposed to be the day of high drama where the Big Ten came down with some kind of suspension for coach Jim Harbaugh and then Michigan was going to sue. That didn't happen, but the university did receive formal notice from the conference of potential disciplinary action under the league's sportsmanship policy.
After a while, you lose track. Or maybe you just don’t want to pay attention any longer.
Michigan fans are calling this a witch hunt.
The school’s president, Santa Ono, wrote Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti about due process and basic fairness while the rest of the conference is breathing down Petitti’s neck to act immediately since they’re talking about integrity of the game issues in play. Ono also wrote that Michigan wants to cooperate fully but there has been talk Michigan could sue if it doesn’t like Petitti’s decision on whether to suspend Harbaugh.
Meanwhile, third-ranked Michigan visits No. 11 Penn State on Saturday in one of college football’s biggest games all season. Isn’t that what we should be talking about?
Harbaugh spent at least some of Monday with former wrestler Ric Flair as there is all kinds of wild reporting in the Michigan media about what’s going on behind the scenes in Ann Arbor.
As this unfolds, it seems Michigan is digging for dirt as well. Part of this story is that a private investigation firm somehow gained access to Michigan computers that showed the video taken by Stalions could be accessed by members of the coaching staff.
According to MaizeandBlueReview.com’s Josh Henschke, the school has information on where the private investigator situation originated from and there is talk that Michigan practices could have been filmed by an outside source.
Also interestingly, Henschke’s reporting says Michigan has evidence of recruiting violations by other schools of high school and transfer prospects. Grab your popcorn - or gag on it maybe.
This has all turned into a sad and ridiculous sideshow.
Anyone who can have even a smidge of objectivity can see that Stalions was an oddball who either taped sidelines of opponents himself or contracted people out to do it when he wasn’t typing up his nutty Michigan Manifesto. Stalions ran this operation while on Michigan’s staff. It was well-orchestrated and planned and by multiple reports, that video landed on Michigan’s computers.
It’s clear by video evidence that Stalions was in the ear of Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter during games. It’s clear that at least Stalions and one other Michigan staffer had laminated sheets of play calls whether they were taken from the footage Stalions took himself or collected from his minions or stolen legally on game day.
It’s clear that NCAA Bylaw 11.1.1.1 reads: “An institution's head coach shall be held responsible for the head coach's actions and the actions of all institutional staff members who report, directly or indirectly, to the head coach. In order to assist the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions in penalty deliberations, the enforcement staff will gather information regarding whether the head coach promoted an atmosphere of compliance within the program and monitored the activities of all institutional staff members involved with the program who report, directly or indirectly, to the coach.”
In a paper written a decade ago by lawyer Martin J. Greenberg, who is now adjunct faculty at Marquette University Law School, his interpretation of that bylaw is as follows: “As a result of NCAA Bylaw (then called) 11.1.2.1, an institution's head coach is presumed to be responsible for the actions of all assistant coaches and administrators who report directly and indirectly to the head coach.
“Under the new Bylaw, a head coach is required to cultivate an atmosphere of compliance within his program and to monitor the activities of all assistant coaches and administrators involved with the program who report directly or indirectly to the head coach. The new legislation holds head coaches directly accountable for NCAA violations by members of their coaching staff.”
That is the crux of this situation: Under this bylaw, whether Harbaugh knew or didn’t know, orchestrated it or didn’t orchestrate it, used the video to his advantage or didn’t, the NCAA has come down on holding head coaches accountable for the actions of others on that staff.
I understand the NCAA and the Big Ten are different organizations. I understand there could be significant dirt found on other schools. I understand some of these coaches aren’t angels. But that does not dismiss Harbaugh, Stallions, Michigan’s actions or this sign-stealing operation. ‘We did it because everybody does it’ doesn’t hold up.
The absurdity of Central Michigan and now the NCAA investigating whether Stalions was on its sidelines during its game against Michigan State on Sept. 1 dressed in CMU gear, wearing a sideline pass and some curious glasses (that might be a recording device) only adds to the absurdity of this story.
Asked about sign stealing at his Monday press conference, Penn State coach James Franklin said: “I know these questions are going to come this week. I’m going to focus on the things that we can control. We always have to have a plan and I think I’ve already covered this and talked about this in terms of what we do and how we communicate to our team and our players during games but I’m going to leave it at that because less is more.”
Later, Franklin was asked about Harbaugh’s status for Saturday’s game: “I’m focused on all the stuff we see on film. That’s what we’re focused on, all the stuff we see on film, their players, their scheme. When I say what we see on film, the coaches' copy of the film, the stuff that’s going on between the sidelines, the 53 ⅓, that’s what we’re focused on.”
Clearly, we all know what Franklin was saying without him coming out and saying it. Everybody knows it. Some are saying it and some are hiding behind their fandom. But it's clear, everyone from fans to ADs to the NCAA – and especially other coaches – are pissed.
After Michigan’s 41-13 win over Purdue on Saturday, Boilermakers coach Ryan Walters blew by Harbaugh and hardly shook his hand.
In the postgame press conference, with the typical Harbaugh stare like he’s confused and befuddled by the simplest of questions, the Michigan coach said it was just a typical postgame handshake.
What the hell can we believe anymore?
