The football program at the University of Michigan, among the favorites to play for the national championship, has become embroiled in an alleged sign-stealing…
The football program at the University of Michigan, among the favorites to play for the national championship, has become embroiled in an alleged sign-stealing scheme that involved impermissible, in-person scouting of opponents going back as long as three seasons.
Both the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference, of which Michigan is a member, have been looking into the claims for at least three weeks while the second-ranked Wolverines (9-0) continue their season. Coach Jim Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of any kind of improper scouting scheme in his program.
The NCAA investigation is likely to take weeks if not months. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, who has had the job for about six months after a career in Major League Baseball and television, decided to take more immediate action: He banned Harbaugh from coaching in the team’s final three regular-season games, including Saturday’s showdown at No. 9 Penn State.
Michigan, which warned it would go to court to challenge any discipline, followed up by seeking a court order late Friday. Harbaugh served a three-game, university-imposed suspension earlier this season for an unrelated and still unresolved NCAA violations case tied to recruiting; his team won all three games.
Here is what you need to know about the scandal that could hang over the rest of the season.
There are no NCAA or Big Ten rules against football teams trying to decipher each other’s play-calling signs. It’s understood when teams square off, there will be eyes on the sidelines looking for clues.
Teams go to great lengths to protect their signals, though the exact value of having another team’s signs is hard to peg. Coaches say it has become something of an epidemic in college football as no-huddle offenses became the norm.
