REPORT: Sherrone Moore facing possible suspension according to ESPN

Chris Breiler | Aug 4, 2024

Jan 8, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

We're inching closer to getting a full understanding of exactly what Michigan is being accused of regarding the sign-stealing scandal, but the early reporting doesn't look good. On Sunday, ESPN indicated that it had received a draft of the NCAA's notice of allegations, and that a potential suspension for current U-M head coach Sherrone Moore is possible.

According to ESPN, the draft indicates that Moore is accused of deleting a thread of over 50 text messages with former U-M staffer Connor Stalions when the story first broke that Stalions was involved in the sign-stealing scheme.

Michigan's Sherrone Moore could be facing NCAA penalties related to the Connor Stalions' case, according to a draft of the NCAA's notice of allegations. (This is a draft, not a final version of allegations) More details here with @PeteThamel: https://t.co/BgaRTDwOvS

— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) August 4, 2024

Via ESPN:

The draft, which could be subject to change, states Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions in October 2023 on the same day that media reports revealed Stalions was leading an effort to capture the playcalling signals of future opponents.

The draft states that the texts were later recovered via "device imaging" and Moore "subsequently produced them to enforcement staff." Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation, according to the draft.

The report went on to say that the NCAA might consider Moore to be a "repeat violator" due to a negotiated resolution for recruiting violations during the 2020 COVID-19 recruiting dead period.

Moore, who took over as the Wolverines' head coach in January after serving as their offensive coordinator for several seasons, is considered a potential "repeat violator" by the NCAA because in August 2023, he negotiated a resolution to claims that he contacted recruits during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.

There's no indication that Michigan has actually received the NCAA NOA at this point, but this report does seem to suggest that it's coming soon. Of course, the NOA won't be the end of this story. Michigan will have a period of time to issue its response, and it stands to reason that some sort of legal battle will play out.

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