This whole Michigan sign stealing scandal has been such a weird trip. It’s now over, save for the potential NCAA infractions and possibly another suspension for head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The brains behind the clandestine operation, Connor Stalions, has been fired.
How effective all this signal thieving was, I don’t know if we’ll ever know (see: losing 51-45 to TCU in the CFP semifinal). However, you have to assume that it gave the Wolverines a more-than-slight edge on their opponents at any given time. Combine that with the fact that they recruit more talent to Ann Arbor than the vast majority of adversaries they face — save one, two? — and it becomes pretty easy to win.
Several videos are making the rounds on socials as evidence of Michigan stealing signs and capitalizing on that in real time, such as the one below against Ohio State last year:
SPEAKING OF The Ohio State University — rather than emphasizing the “The” so hard, it’s more fun to say the whole school’s phrase trippingly —
— …Thankfully Stalions’ minions could take better direction than Hobie Doyle to pull of their ruse.
Sorry. Speaking of Ohio State, the private investigators who are believed to have cracked into Michigan’s scheme allegedly have ties to the family of Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day.
Let me just throw you this excerpt in case that long-winded sentence and Hail, Caesar! reference were too disorienting, per a report by On3.com:
“Several sources at Michigan and in the media tell TheWolverine.com they are gathering evidence on two private investigators they believe are behind the investigation into U-M’s alleged illegal on-site scouting. The same sources also believe the two are responsible for the media leaks that have kept the story in the news for weeks.
Both allegedly have ties to Ohio State head coach Ryan Day’s family.”
Look at Coach Day possibly, allegedly getting in there! I think the man was getting a little tired of how the annual head-to-head rivalry was going of late and maybe, allegedly, decided to do something about it!
When you realize that Michigan had only beaten Ohio State once since 2003 before winning the last two showdowns, and you realize that perfectly overlaps with the sign-stealing snafu, I mean…
To be clear, I think this whole “scandal” has been overblown. I’m sure this type of — ahem, gamesmanship/bending of the rules, shall we call it? — strategy is deployed all across college football. Let’s not be totally naïve. I just don’t think anyone was as brash, open or overboard about it as Connor Stalions and his ilk.
You have to kind of respect this guy’s ambition. You might say, “Well after this, he has no future in coaching or college football at all!” But in the end, Stalions got so much publicity, and is likely to make the rounds on a media tour at some point after this to break it all down. Right? Isn’t that where this is heading?
There’s no way lots of big media types won’t want to talk to Stalions. Someone who was so in the thick of a historic situation at a powerhouse program, who also despises the NCAA and didn’t even bother cooperating with their investigation?
…Yeah. He will have some things to say about all this, and I assume it’d be someday sooner rather than later. Content upside through the roof.
As for Wolverines fans, brace yourselves, hold your breath, pray against another Jim Harbaugh suspension or more serious discipline. No telling how deep the rabbit hole goes just yet, but Stalions is the big domino to officially fall.
