Latest news with #ConnorStalions
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
In letter, Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti says Michigan penalties should end: Report
Michigan's June hearing in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions included a letter from Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti arguing that Michigan should face no additional sanctions stemming from its 2023 impermissible scouting scandal, ESPN reported Monday. The Big Ten confirmed to The Athletic that Petitti provided a letter to the NCAA, as he was unable to attend the hearing in person. The league did not comment on the contents of the letter, but it is standard practice for conference commissioners to appear at infractions hearings in support of league members facing discipline. Advertisement In the case of Petitti and Michigan, the history matters. The Big Ten learned in 2023 that Michigan was subject to an NCAA investigation for the actions of former staffer Connor Stalions, who was accused of orchestrating a scheme to acquire video footage of opponents' signals. In the midst of the NCAA investigation, Petitti suspended Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular-season games of the 2023 season for violations of the league's sportsmanship policy. The suspension placated other Big Ten programs furious about the sign-stealing allegations and infuriated Michigan. The school briefly attempted to challenge the suspension in court, and athletic director Warde Manuel called the Big Ten's decision 'unethical' and 'insulting.' The bad blood led to an awkward scene after Michigan won the Big Ten championship game, with Harbaugh standing at a distance as Petitti awarded the championship trophy to Michigan's players. The Wolverines went on to beat Alabama and Washington in the College Football Playoff to complete their perfect season. The Big Ten and Michigan are ready to put their differences in the past and move on from the Stalions affair. The NCAA, however, has the final say. The NCAA issued a notice of allegations charging Michigan with six Level I violations, the most severe in the NCAA's penalty structure, and coach Sherrone Moore faces a Level II charge for deleting text messages he exchanged with Stalions before the investigation became public. Michigan proposed suspending Moore for Michigan's Week 3 game against Central Michigan and its Week 4 game at Nebraska as punishment, though it's unclear if the NCAA will accept those terms. Petitti's swift action against Michigan in 2023 was influenced by the length of the NCAA infractions process, which often drags out over multiple years. Relevant parties, including Stalions, appeared at a two-day infractions hearing in June, and a ruling is expected before the start of the 2025 season. The NCAA is considering a range of possible penalties, though NCAA president Charlie Baker said Michigan won the national championship 'fair and square' after the Wolverines beat Washington in the CFP championship game.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Big Ten commish Tony Petitti sent letter to NCAA arguing no further punishment for Michigan in Connor Stalions case
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti caught a lot of flak from Michigan fans when he punished the school as part of the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal. Now, however, Petitti might prove to be the school's biggest ally. Petitti reportedly sent a letter to the NCAA arguing against issuing further punishments to Michigan as part of the Stalions scandal, per Dan Wetzel of ESPN. That letter was reportedly read during an infractions-committee meeting in June, per ESPN. The NCAA is expected to hand down additional penalties to Michigan ahead of the 2025 season. The organization charged Michigan with 11 violations, six of which were considered Level 1, which the NCAA labels as a "severe breach of conduct." The committee has yet to issue additional punishments from those violations. Despite Petitti's plea, the committee does not have to listen to his advice. Petitti already punished Michigan for the Stalions sign-stealing scandal. In 2023, Petitti suspended Jim Harbaugh for three games. In response, Michigan sought a temporary restraining order to prevent that suspension from taking effect. Harbaugh wound up serving the suspension, but Michigan won every game during his absence, and then went on to win the national championship. In his letter, Petitti reportedly argued that suspension was adequate, and that the university shouldn't be subjected to additional punishments for the Stalions scandal. Following that national-championship win, Harbaugh left Michigan for the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the team to an 11-6 record in his first season back in the NFL. After Harbaugh left, Michigan promoted offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore into the head-coaching role. Moore led the team to an 8-5 record in his first season with the team. It's unclear whether the NCAA will hand down additional punishments as part of the Stalions scandal. The organization could consider "vacating past victories, a postseason ban, the suspension of coaches, a monetary fine or other measures," per ESPN. In May, the university recommended a two-game suspension for Moore during the 2025 season after he allegedly deleted a text-message chain with Stalions after the sign-stealing scandal was discovered. Those texts were reportedly recovered by the NCAA. Since Petitti's original punishment 2023, the NCAA handed down penalties to Michigan for issues unrelated to the Stalions scandal. In 2024, Harbaugh was suspended for a year and given a four-year show-clause penalty for recruiting violations. He — along with Moore and the entire program — could face even more punishments depending on how the infractions committee rules ahead of the 2025 season.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Michigan's sign-stealer, Conor Stalions, says he knew most signals in 7 games over 2 seasons
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions, whose actions triggered an NCAA investigation into sign-stealing, says he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. Stalions shared those details Saturday on social media, responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes telling On3 that his team changed some signs in advance of its win over the Wolverines in the 2022 College Football semifinals. Advertisement 'We got some favorable matchups because of that and, yeah, there was some big plays in the game," Dykes said in the On3 report. Stalions bristled at the latest attempt to suggest Michigan won or lost games because of his sign-stealing role with the team. 'There were 7 games in my time at Michigan where I knew almost every signal the whole game: 2021 MSU, 2022 MSU, 2022 PSU, 2022 OSU, 2022 TCU, 2021 Georgia, and 2021 Wisconsin,' Stalions wrote in his post. "We lost 3 of those games because we didn't tackle well, and Georgia was historically good. We won the four other games because we dominated the line of scrimmage & tackled well. Blocking, ball security, tackling, run fits & coverage tools. 'That's football. This is not rocket science.' Advertisement Nearly a year ago, the NCAA alleged in a notice relating to Michigan's 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 Big Ten dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court. Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with 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. 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 that rocked college football during the 2023 championship season with Harbaugh on the sideline. The school had a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions last month. The governing body takes three months on average for contested cases to make a final decision. Advertisement The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and then go to Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6. The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but it does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. Records from other Big Ten schools showed that Stalions bought tickets to games involving future opponents, sending people to digitally record teams when they signaled plays. Stalions initially was placed on leave by Michigan and later resigned. He did not participate in the NCAA investigation. The NCAA previously put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the school and implemented recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years. ___ AP college football: and The Associated Press
Associated Press
13-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Michigan's sign-stealer, Conor Stalions, says he knew most signals in 7 games over 2 seasons
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Former Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions, whose actions triggered an NCAA investigation into sign-stealing, says he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. Stalions shared those details Saturday on social media, responding to TCU coach Sonny Dykes telling On3 that his team changed some signs in advance of its win over the Wolverines in the 2022 College Football semifinals. 'We got some favorable matchups because of that and, yeah, there was some big plays in the game,' Dykes said in the On3 report. Stalions bristled at the latest attempt to suggest Michigan won or lost games because of his sign-stealing role with the team. 'There were 7 games in my time at Michigan where I knew almost every signal the whole game: 2021 MSU, 2022 MSU, 2022 PSU, 2022 OSU, 2022 TCU, 2021 Georgia, and 2021 Wisconsin,' Stalions wrote in his post. 'We lost 3 of those games because we didn't tackle well, and Georgia was historically good. We won the four other games because we dominated the line of scrimmage & tackled well. Blocking, ball security, tackling, run fits & coverage tools. 'That's football. This is not rocket science.' Nearly a year ago, the NCAA alleged in a notice relating to Michigan's 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 Big Ten dropping its own investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court. Moore also was accused of deleting text messages with 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. 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 that rocked college football during the 2023 championship season with Harbaugh on the sideline. The school had a hearing with the NCAA's Committee on Infractions last month. 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 then go to Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6. The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but it does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. Records from other Big Ten schools showed that Stalions bought tickets to games involving future opponents, sending people to digitally record teams when they signaled plays. Stalions initially was placed on leave by Michigan and later resigned. He did not participate in the NCAA investigation. The NCAA previously put Michigan on three years of probation, fined the school and implemented recruiting limits after reaching a negotiated resolution in a recruiting case and banned Harbaugh from coaching college football for four years. ___ AP college football: and
USA Today
13-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
MSU beat rival UM in 2021 despite Wolverines knowing 'almost every signal'
Michigan State football's top 10 win over rival Michigan in 2021 became even more impressive on Saturday morning. Beating your rival in a top 10 showdown is extremely tough to do and impressive to accomplish. Now imagine how much more difficult and notable that achievement is if your opponent "knew almost every signal the whole game." That's what Michigan State was apparently up against when they played Connor Stalions and the Wolverines in 2021. Stalions has been back in the news this past week after TCU head coach Sonny Dykes shared that his staff was tipped off about Michigan's extensive sign stealing practice ahead of their 2022 College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with the Wolverines. That story hitting the news cycle didn't sit well with Stalions, who took to social media platform X early on Saturday morning to fire back at Dykes' comments. The full post on X from Stalions can be seen below: The notable takeaway from Stalions' post for us Spartans, though, was the fact that he admitted to knowing "almost every signal the whole game" against Michigan State in both 2021 and 2022. The Spartans were led by Kenneth Walker III in 2021 to knock off the Wolverines but came up short in a road loss at Michigan in 2022. Now, of course, Stalions admitting to having the signals of the Spartans is not technically against any rules. Sign stealing in college football is fine to do (and apparently done by many schools), but how you conduct sign stealing is what got Stalions and Michigan into hot water with the NCAA. The outcome from that investigation and potential penalties for the Wolverines have not yet been announced by the NCAA. Regardless of how Stalions was able to know all of the Spartans' signals in those two games, its quite the advantage and statement to say he had that kind of knowledge -- which makes that 2021 victory for the Spartans even more impressive in my opinion. So while it's been nearly four years since Walker found the endzone five times to lead the Spartans past the Wolverines, the lore of that day continues to grow for Michigan State football and those who got to enjoy that fun afternoon in East Lansing, Mich. In case you wanted to relive that fun Spartans' rivalry win over Stalions and the Wolverines, here is the highlights video below: Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
