It's Bad at Michigan

This will almost certainly be Jim Harbaugh's last season as Head Coach of the Michigan football team.  He'll finish the season, then hand in his resignation pretty much immediately after the Wolverines' final game.  And by resignation, I mean "resignation."  Because whether he leaves for the NFL (which I'm sure will be the official "reason") or not, he's done at Michigan.  There's no way he can't be.  

Harbaugh already served a three-game suspension at the beginning of this season, a sanction that Michigan self-imposed against him because of recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period.  The NCAA investigation into that is still ongoing, and it's very possible Harbaugh could still face a stiffer penalty from the NCAA.  That, really, is child's play compared to the latest allegations against the Michigan football program, though.

Michigan is now also embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal that sounds bad on the surface, then gets much worse with every detail that emerges.  Over a period of several years, a Michigan football staff member bought tickets to games involving upcoming opponents and spent the entire game recording the sideline for the sole purpose of seeing their signals.  All of the tickets were in the same general area--on the opposite side of the field, high enough to see the entire sideline.  So, yeah, it was both well-planned and elaborate.

The staff member, Connor Stalions, used his own credit card to purchase the tickets, so it was easy enough to track the transactions.  Sure enough, he bought tickets at 12 of the 13 other Big Ten stadiums, as well as for some home games of potential College Football Playoff opponents, both directly from the school and on the secondary market.  There are also records that he bought tickets to the last two SEC Championship Games.  And, since Stalions couldn't go to every game himself, he solicited others to attend some of them in his place, with specific instructions for what he wanted them to do in exchange for the ticket.

Stalions was evidently the ringleader of the scheme, and he's been suspended with pay by Michigan while the investigation plays out.  According to what's been reported, he maintained the server where the video was uploaded, which Harbaugh and the assistant coaches also had access to.  Whether Stalions was acting on his own or at the coaching staff's direction is unclear.  Either way, though, somebody within the program knows something. 

Harbaugh claims to have no knowledge of the scheme.  What and how much he does or doesn't know is irrelevant, however.  Because he's the head coach and everything that happens in the program is ultimately the head coach's responsibility.  It doesn't matter what staffer commits the violation and whether the head coach is directly involved or not.  Even if he doesn't know, he should.  He's the one in charge, so, ultimately, he's the one to blame.  Which, frankly, is the way it should be.

Taken in isolation, the sign stealing thing would be bad.  Then, when you throw in the fact that Michigan is already being investigated and likely facing sanctions because of the recruiting violations, that makes it that much worse.  Especially when you consider that the sign stealing was blatant cheating that directly impacted games.  If they weren't gonna get nailed before, they almost certainly will now.

Not surprisingly, the rest of the Big Ten is not very happy about the situation.  And, frankly, who can blame them?  They also know that an NCAA investigation will take at least a year and Harbaugh will likely be long gone by then, so the pressure's on Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti to do something about it now, which he has the authority to do under the conference's sportsmanship policy.  And if illegally taping your opponents doesn't violate the sportsmanship policy, I don't know what does!

There were two separate video calls with Petitti and Big Ten members this week--one with the football coaches, one with the athletic directors.  Both continued for nearly an hour after Michigan hung up so that they could discuss everything freely.  The coaches were obviously very passionate.  The athletic directors were more direct.  They both gave the same clear message, though.  The Big Ten needs to do something.

What he'll ultimately do is anybody's guess.  So is the timeline.  Petitti has to deal with this essentially in real time, all while the NCAA conducts its investigation.  He's had conversations with the NCAA, though, and wants a clear set of facts before he makes any sort of determination about potential punishment.  And, the very fact that he's been in touch with the NCAA and vice versa indicates the seriousness of the situation.

It's still way too early for Petitti to make any decision about Michigan.  He still needs to talk to the Big Ten presidents (and probably the NCAA again) to get their take.  It does seem clear that he'll eventually do something, though.  The integrity of the conference's competition has been compromised, which cannot be ignored.  However, an executive committee will likely have to review whatever punishment is suggested to make sure it's appropriate.

Banning Michigan from the Big Ten Championship Game would seem to be the most logical and reasonable penalty.  I don't think their opponents would accept anything less.  Especially with the preponderance of evidence in this case.  You don't want to act to quickly either, though.  Because rushing to judgment before concluding an investigation could be just as bad.

As a result, it'll probably be a while before Michigan is disciplined by the Big Ten for the sign stealing scandal.  That's little consolation for their opponents, of course, since it looks like one of the best teams in the country will still be eligible for the Big Ten Championship Game and College Football Playoff this season.  And, by the time they do, the key perpetrators (Harbaugh and Stalions) will almost certainly be gone.

One thing seems clear, though.  There's no escaping this for Jim Harbaugh.  Not when it involves clear cheating.  Not when the entire conference is impacted.  Not when the NCAA is already investigating the program.  This is the beginning of the end for him at Michigan.  There's no way around it.