Why didn't Michigan coaches put a stop to sign-stealing scheme by Connor Stalions?

At least three members of the Michigan football coaching staff were made aware that something was off about Connor Stalions and his sign-stealing methods.

Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK

Now that we've all had a few days to digest the latest reporting from Yahoo Sports regarding the sign-stealing scandal, a massive question remains: why didn't the Michigan coaches put a stop to it all?

For over a year, the general consensus - at least among those in Ann Arbor - was that Connor Stalions was a low level-staffer who went rogue. Surely the staff at Michigan would never allow anyone to do anything that could damage the program and put their future success at risk. But it certainly sounds like that's what happened, and Michigan's response to the NOA from the NCAA almost seems to confirm it.

In its 137-page response to the NCAA, Michigan names three specific coaches who were made aware that something was off with Stalions and his methods of gathering the signals of opposing teams. Those coaches include former running backs coach Mike Hart, former linebackers coach Chris Partiridge, and former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

In the report, Hart is mentioned first as one of the coaches to become aware that something might have been off. In September of 2023, Hart told NCAA investigators that he had received a call from a member of the Rutgers coaching staff. That staff member suggested that Stalions was going further than most programs do when it comes to stealing signs. Following that conversation, Hart told investigators that he brought it to the attention of Minter, but the report doesn't include what (if anything) Minter did with that information.

The next instance mentioned in the report is when a low-level staff member approached Partridge with concerns about a request that was made by Stalions. According to the staffer, Stalions asked him to rent a car and to go scout a Georgia football game. It's important to note that the report confirms this game was not on Michigan's schedule, but could have become a future opponent with a potential playoff matchup. After the staffer mentioned this to Partridge, the report indicates that Partridge approached Stalions and asked him to leave the staffer out of it. “You’re not using this kid in your signal organization stupid thing, so, like, just have him be a manager," Partridge reportedly told Stalions.

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

With three key pieces of the Michigan Football staff aware that something may have been off about what Connor Stalions was doing, it's hard to imagine how nobody put a stop to it. Additionally, it's also hard to imagine how none of this made its way to Jim Harbaugh's desk.

According to Michigan's own response, the work that Stalions was doing provided practically no competitive advantage.

Via the Yahoo Sports report:

Michigan also claims that players and staff members only used Stalions’ signal boards on a limited basis and that they did not provide a competitive impact. Michigan players used pre-snap calls of “birds” (a pass) and “rabbits” (a run) even before Stalions joined the staff, the school says. They often determined such, not by signals, but by offensive line stance, the offensive formation or other tells.

With practically no competitive advantage, why allow a low-level staffer to push the boundaries and put your program at risk? Why not put an end to it? Those are questions that Michigan will certainly have to answer in the coming days.

It would seem that the defense from Michigan is to suggest that much of what Stalions was doing was loosely within the confines of NCAA rules. While they admit that Stalions did cross the line in some instances - specifically by attending one game of a future opponent and by directing a staff member to delete information during the NCAA investigation - the university stands firm that the NCAA lacks sufficient evidence for many of its other claims.

When you get right down to the bottom of it, the current battle between the NCAA and Michigan is simple. The NCAA has strong reason to believe that Connor Stalions committed multiple violations in an effort to steal opponents signals, along with essentially accusing the Michigan football program of turning a blind eye. Michigan's response is to simply say, "prove it."

It is expected that a hearing before the Committee on Infractions will happen in the coming weeks, kicking off a battle between the NCAA and Michigan that could last months, if not years.

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