A former Division III player and college football coach is claiming he was paid by Michigan Wolverines assistant Connor Stalions to film opponents for the program.
Stalions, who has been suspended by the NCAA amid a probe into Michigan’s alleged sign stealing, is thought to be in a precarious position as evidence continues to pile up. ESPN has since interviewed a former coach who said he received money in exchange for helping the Wolverines scout other teams.
The individual, who did not want to be named, admitted he was not oblivious to what Stalions was doing but reckoned it was in a gray area where the rules were concerned.
“I didn’t like it, but it’s a gray line,” he was quoted as saying. “You can call me naive, but no one is reading the bylaws. I’m not a contractual lawyer. … I just felt like if you’re not doing it, you’re not trying to get ahead.”
The source said he received $1,000 to work three games and received the money via Venmo. He attended games featuring Rutgers and Penn State last season and was also at a Penn State game this term.
“I only did a half because it was pouring rain and they were playing UMass,” he added. “It didn’t pay well enough so I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not staying here.”
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The anonymous ex-coach doesn’t seem to believe that the Wolverines have done anything blatantly wrong but was happy to get paid to attend Big Ten games.
“I wasn’t doing it for personal gain or hoping to get my foot in the door if Conor becomes a head coach someday,” he remarked. “It was just I got to go to some Big Ten games, all right, sweet. And everyone else I felt was doing it to some degree. It’s a billion-dollar industry. You’re going to work in the gray areas as best you can.”
