The NCAA's clutches are tightening around Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who could face a Level II violation over the latest sign-stealing scandal to mar Michigan football, as the organization prepares to release its notice of allegations, the draft of which was received by the Wolverines last week, reports from The Associated Press have confirmed. Moore is accused of serious tech tomfoolery—deleting over 50 text message exchanges amid an investigation that linked former staff member Connor Stalions to an elaborate sign-stealing scheme.
Beyond the drama of missed signals, The Detroit News reveals that Moore allegedly scrubbed his phone of these messages post haste when probes into the scheme commenced on October 19 and 20 of last year and these were no vague hints at the impropriety, the messages were recovered through device imaging and Moore subsequently produced them to the enforcement staff according to the draft Notice of Allegations. The sign-stealing plot thickens with Stalions, who are indicated as the mastermind behind the illicit activity, drafting the NFL tactics to college ball—and not playing coy about it either. Reports from CBS Sports show that Stalions did not cooperate with the investigation and his resignation followed soon after a disciplinary hearing with Michigan officials was slated.
In the mix are acceleration allegations, with former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, former assistant coaches Chris Partridge and Denard Robinson also facing Level 1 violations, which entail the most serious NCAA infractions like exploiting the sportsmanship policy or having an excessive competitive edge, or being a bit too familiar with recruits. To add more to the fire, a Netflix documentary, "Sign Stealer," is slated to air Stalions' side of the story, which can only roil the waters more—not that Michigan football hasn't been storm-tossed enough, they navigated two separate suspensions for Harbaugh last season surfacing to a 15-0 season and national title before Harbaugh's exodus to the professional coach-hood with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Despite this, NCAA President Charlie Baker had earlier attested that the Wolverines secured the national championship “fair and square,” per AP sources. Meanwhile, Tom Mars, an attorney representing Harbaugh, told The Detroit News, “The way I see it, this is like being in college and getting a letter from your high school threatening to suspend you because you didn’t sign the yearbook,” suggesting that Harbaugh won't let these allegations distract him from coaching goals. With a possible show-cause on the cards for Moore, the dominoes seem to be incessantly toppling at Michigan, but whether they'll lead to a true housecleaning or just a larger pile of missteps remains up to the NCAA's closing argument.
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