Only a month removed from Jim Harbaugh completing a team-issued suspension due to recruiting violations, the No. 2 Michigan football team is back in trouble with another scandal.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger and Dan Wetzel, the NCAA is looking into whether or not the football program has been sign-stealing.
“The NCAA is investigating the Michigan football program for allegedly violating rules that prohibit teams from scouting, in person, future opponents, industry sources told Yahoo Sports.
The allegation pertains to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which reads: “Off-campus, in-person scouring of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited,” sources say.
The Big Ten Conference received notification from the NCAA that the organization is conducting an investigation into the Wolverines, a league spokesperson said. The spokesperson declined to confirm any more details.”
Sign stealing is a polarizing issue in the sport. It’s technically only illegal if signs stolen are relayed to players or coaches electronically or if they are stolen using video equipment or other improper means.
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Simply reading signs on a sideline is not prohibited which is why you will see teams attempt to cover their signs with a towel or a whiteboard on the sidelines when relaying them in.
What Michigan is alleged to have done goes beyond just reading in-game signals.
The second-ranked Wolverines are 7-0 and are at Michigan State on Saturday night. They are favored by more than three touchdowns.
Michigan State has struggled to win since Mel Tucker was suspended and later fired for acknowledging he had consensual phone sex with a school vendor, who is a sexual assault activist and rape survivor.
The Spartans are 0-4 without Tucker.
