Eric Boggs
The NCAA has officially issued a Notice of Allegations (NOA) to Michigan, confirming the ongoing investigation into the Wolverines’ sign-stealing scandal. Michigan now has 90 days to respond before the case advances to the Committee on Infractions.
According to reports, the formal NOA remains largely unchanged from the draft obtained earlier by ESPN. The allegations target key figures within the Michigan football program, including head coach Sherrone Moore, former head coach Jim Harbaugh, and ex-staff members Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson, and Connor Stalions—the alleged mastermind behind Michigan’s impermissible in-person scouting operation. Notably, Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale, former Michigan assistants, are also implicated in unrelated recruiting violations.
Institutionally, Michigan faces a Level I violation for its “pattern of noncompliance” within the football program, as well as for attempts to obstruct the NCAA’s investigation. The draft NOA specifically accuses Moore, now the head coach after Harbaugh’s departure to the NFL, of deleting 52 text messages exchanged with Stalions on the day Stalions was publicly identified as the leader of the sign-stealing scheme. Moore could face a suspension and a show-cause penalty as a result.
Moore has maintained that Michigan is fully cooperating with the NCAA, expressing confidence in the eventual release of the text messages. Despite these statements, it is unlikely that any sanctions will be imposed on Michigan until 2025, as the university has three months to respond, after which a hearing will be scheduled unless Michigan accepts penalties without contest.
NBC Sports reports that Minter and Robinson are working on a negotiated resolution with the NCAA, while Moore and Harbaugh could be deemed repeat violators, given Harbaugh’s recent four-year show-cause order and additional penalties from a separate NCAA investigation into COVID-19 recruiting violations.
The allegations stem from Michigan’s alleged violation of NCAA rules prohibiting in-person scouting and the use of video recording equipment during opponents’ games. The NCAA claims it can prove that Stalions coordinated an extensive off-campus scouting network that involved recording future opponents’ signals in person. These revelations were made public just days before the release of “Untold: Sign Stealer,” a Netflix documentary featuring Stalions’ first public comments on the scandal.
With the NCAA’s policy allowing 90 days for a response, Michigan has until late November to address these accusations. However, the final resolution might extend well beyond the 2024 season. Meanwhile, the NCAA has refrained from commenting further to preserve the integrity of the infractions process.
The leaked draft NOA revealed that Moore, who is the only remaining Michigan staff member implicated in the scandal, could face significant penalties, including suspension for allegedly deleting text messages between him and Stalions. Stalions is accused of being the ringleader of a sign-stealing operation that involved purchasing tickets for over 30 games and using illegal technology to steal signals. He reportedly went so far as to attend a Central Michigan game disguised to scout rival Michigan State, which the NCAA claims “seriously undermined or threatened the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model.”
As the investigation became public, Stalions was dismissed from Michigan, and Harbaugh was suspended for the final three games of the 2023 season. Despite the scandal, Harbaugh returned to lead Michigan to its first national championship since 1997 before departing for the Los Angeles Chargers.
