Michigan football faces serious NCAA allegations

Michigan’s football program, under new head coach Sherrone Moore, is facing a significant legal challenge from the NCAA. Pete Thamel and Dan Murphy reported that according to a draft of the NCAA’s notice of allegations obtained by ESPN, Moore is one of seven individuals from the 2023 football program accused of breaching NCAA rules.

The draft reveals that Moore might face a show-cause penalty or suspension for allegedly deleting 52 text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions in October 2023. This occurred on the same day media reports surfaced about Stalions leading an effort to capture opponents’ play calling signals. Although the messages were later recovered and provided to enforcement staff, Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation.

Defining an NCAA Level 2 violation

In the violation structure introduced in 2013, the NCAA stated a Level 2 violation is a “Significant Breach of Conduct”. “Violations that provide or are intended to provide more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive recruiting, competitive or other advantage; includes more than a minimal but less than a substantial or extensive impermissible benefit; or involves conduct that may compromise the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model as set forth in the Constitution and bylaws.”

Michigan football coaches named in the draft

Moore, who became Michigan football’s head coach in January 2024 after serving as offensive coordinator, is also seen as a potential repeat violator. Earlier in August 2023, he resolved allegations of contacting recruits during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.

These new allegations are part of a broader inquiry into Stalions’ off-campus scouting activities. Former Michigan football staffers, including Jim Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson, and Stalions himself, are accused of committing Level 1 violations, the most severe category in the NCAA’s enforcement scale. The university faces a Level 1 violation as well, due to a pattern of noncompliance and efforts to obstruct the NCAA’s investigation. Other former coaches, Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale, face separate recruiting violations.

Harbaugh, now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers, is accused of failing to cooperate with the NCAA by denying access to his personal phone records. Despite this, the draft does not indicate his involvement in Stalions’ scouting operation, though it criticizes him for not investigating potential red flags.

Connor Stalions rumor comes to light

Stalions resigned in November 2023 after media reports exposed his scheme to scout opponents by purchasing game tickets and directing individuals to film sidelines. The NCAA draft asserts that Stalions impermissibly scouted at least 13 opponents on 58 occasions between 2021 and 2023, with some teams scouted multiple times. Evidence also suggests Stalions appeared at a Michigan State game in disguise.

NCAA investigators determined that Connor Stalions was on the sidelines wearing a disguise during the Central Michigan @ Michigan State game last fall, according to the draft.

No info provided on how he got a bench pass for the CMU sideline.

— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) August 4, 2024

Stalions is accused of obstructing the investigation by removing hard drives from Michigan football offices and instructing a player to hide a sheet of play calling signals. Despite these accusations, he has not yet publicly commented but is expected to appear in an upcoming Netflix documentary about the scandal.

Connor Stalions allegedly on Central Michigan sideline

In addition to Stalions, Partridge, fired by Michigan last November, faces accusations of pressuring players to mislead investigators and committing several Level 2 violations. Clinkscale and Robinson are charged with providing impermissible benefits to recruits. Clinkscale is also accused of assisting a recruit with social media verification and contributing to a charity event run by a recruit’s father.

Minter and Clinkscale are now part of Harbaugh’s staff in Los Angeles, while Partridge is with the Seattle Seahawks. Robinson was dismissed from Michigan’s support staff in May following a DUI arrest.

Neither Michigan nor the NCAA has commented on the allegations as of Sunday.

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