The University of Michigan appears ready to fight back against the NCAA, as detailed in its 137-page response, according to Yahoo Sports. Here is the latest chapter in the Connor Stalions saga:
The Connor Stalions saga just won’t end.
In a recent report by Yahoo Sports, the University of Michigan has fought back against cheating allegations by the NCAA. The 137-page response is accusing the NCAA of “grossly overreaching” and “wildly overcharging” without sufficient evidence.
The Yahoo article said, “Michigan makes clear that it will not enter into a negotiated resolution with the NCAA over the alleged wrongdoing, vigorously defending its former head coach (Jim Harbaugh), current head coach (Sherrone Moore), several staff members and even Stalions.”
The university also claimed the NCAA’s notice of allegations makes “numerous factually unsorted infractions, exaggerates aggravating factors and ignores mitigating facts.”
However, the concerns expand beyond Michigan’s friction with the NCAA. While it was widely theorized that opposing programs played a role in exposing the Wolverines’ scouting methods, the document claimed the informant “derived from Michigan’s own campus.”
Part of the problem here, as Michigan claims, is the NCAA must reveal its source to uphold its evidence, stating: “information that can be attributed to individuals who are willing to be identified.”
The document expresses the school’s respect and understanding of confidentially, but should the NCAA keep this source anonymous, it would lose validity in its accusations.
Michigan has also requested this drop from a Level I infraction — the most serious NCAA violation — to a “Level II standard case” in the name of common sense. They want to paint the picture (whether accurate or not) that this is a wild goose chase and the investigative process by the NCAA has been wildly unjustified.
Furthermore, there is now the issue of Sherrone Moore’s alleged 52 deleted texts with Stalions:
“So, (I) deleted all the information — all Connor, on my personal phone,” Moore said in Michigan’s response, via Yahoo Sports . “And it wasn’t to hide anything, it was just that — I was just extremely angry of, you know, the type of person that would do that to this program and these kids.”
This is such a tricky situation because on the one hand, I don’t really believe Moore would delete 52 texts simply out of frustration. But he also gave up his phone to investigators, as the school and Moore acknowledged the deleted texts.
Make of that what you will.
And while it’s been difficult to trust everything coming from Michigan lately, I think this whole scandal has been blown out of proportion by the NCAA and rival Big Ten universities. If your signs are available to the public, someone will eventually crack them.
Sorry, not sorry.
Moreover, the response document has largely been about the process sustained by the NCAA and its mishandling of procedures.
A final note to consider from Yahoo Sports: “While NCAA rules prohibit in-person scouting of future opponents, the association permits scouting opponents’ signs during games against that opponent, from television broadcast or taped recordings.”
This will likely be a long and even more complicated process than what went down during the end of the 2023 football season, with legal proceedings expected to spill into this summer.