Happy Monday for a special edition of the GCR. So, in the last couple of days it’s come out that a staffer (who was a volunteer until hired in 2022) for Michigan (8-0/1) allegedly bought tickets to games within the Big Ten for teams Michigan had not yet played (11 of them). This is a multi-year thing, but it’s unclear exactly how long. He would buy tickets around mid-field with an unobstructed view of the opposite sidelines (sometimes two tickets, one on each side) and film the sidelines thus gaining an advantage by deciphering the signs. He also allegedly shared those seats with at least three other people so that he didn’t go to each game himself (and/or to film the other team). None of the games he went to were against Michigan, but always at least one team remaining on the schedule for that season.
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Obviously, there’s a lot more to come but one wonders what this means for the program (they are already under investigation for alleged recruiting violations during Covid). What penalties and when? The Wolverines are not only #1 in the GCR, but #2 overall with, quite frankly, a better resume than Georgia (7-0/5). But the question now is, are those big wins against Big Ten opponents partially impacted by this scandal. By the way, it is against NCAA regulations to scout and/or film in an opponent’s stadium. It is also NCAA rules that Harbaugh is ultimately responsible, as the head coach, even if he didn’t know anything about it and even if the stolen signs weren’t used in a game. There is speculation that there could be same year penalties such as a Big Ten East title and post-season ban. Or perhaps it could go so far as forfeiting games played which would change the conference landscape quite a bit, for sure, but would almost certainly be something the university and/or the conference would not put up with viz a viz coaching staff. There could be multiple year penalties, especially if it is shown that Harbaugh knew or should have known and/or that the illegal information was used in a game. I’m not accusing anyone of anything and a lot more investigation is needed, but the videos and paper trails (tickets, sharing of tickets, airfare, etc.) already exists and is in the NCAA’s hands. Certainly, more to come so stay tuned. G
