A storm of frustration and anger swept through the Big Ten coaches on Wednesday, as a video call with commissioner Tony Petitti became a platform for expressing their collective discontent over the ongoing signal-stealing investigation at Michigan.
According to ESPN, the call, which lasted 90 minutes, witnessed an hour of intense discussions after Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh abruptly disconnected following the scheduled conference business.
“Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act right now,” a source told ESPN. “What are we waiting on? … We know what happened.”
Big Ten coaches pushed the league to punish Michigan for its sign-stealing operation in a regularly scheduled call, according to reports.
Jim Harbaugh was on the call and dropped off after pertinent business was concluded. https://t.co/6TtXDzO6FQ pic.twitter.com/sFBwRTPlI9
— Anthony Broome (@anthonytbroome) November 2, 2023
The investigation by the NCAA into Michigan’s alleged signal-stealing practices has been underway for nearly two weeks, with reports emerging that Michigan staffer Connor Stalions has been a central figure in the probe.
Stalions reportedly purchased tickets to numerous games of 12 out of the 13 Big Ten opponents over the past three years, with the tally surpassing 35 games in 17 different stadiums.
Michigan promptly suspended Stalions on the day ESPN disclosed his involvement in the investigation. Furthermore, a former Division III coach claimed to have received payment from Stalions to record games at various Big Ten schools.
During the call, the coaches laid bare the significant advantage Michigan had gained over the past three years by allegedly illicitly acquiring the opposition’s signals before the games.
Despite the coaches reportedly calling for immediate action, the truth is any possible punishment that the NCAA hands down to Harbaugh and/or Michigan most likely won’t happen this season.
There’s no doubt Big Jim and the Wolverines are thankful for that. After all, they are currently the favorites to win the national championship and the last thing they want is any sort of postseason ban.
Regardless, ESPN’s sources made it clear that the situation is much more serious than it may seem.
“People don’t understand the seriousness of it,” ESPN’s source said. “How it truly impacted the game plan. To truly know if it’s a run or a pass, people don’t understand how much of an advantage that was for Michigan.”
“I don’t think the Big Ten understood how upset everyone was,” another ESPN source said. “The tenor of the call was asking the Big Ten to show leadership, the conference and the presidents.”
“An unprecedented violation of the rules would require unprecedented action from the Big Ten.”
What do you make of this whole messy situation?
What do you think will end up happening?