The Michigan flag is raced out onto the field before the first half as No. 5 University of Michigan football faces off against No. 10 Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022 in Ann Arbor. Credit: Jake May | MLive.com via TNS
The University of Michigan football program is facing scrutiny as the Wolverines are now under investigation by the NCAA for sign stealing, according to a statement by the Big Ten Conference Thursday.
“Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program,” the statement read. “The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation.”
Although sign stealing is not technically prohibited under NCAA bylaws, the infractions relate to NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited,” according to Yahoo Sports.
“I want to personally assure you that U-M Athletics will offer its complete cooperation to the NCAA in this matter,” University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “At the University of Michigan, all of us are committed to the highest standards of ethics and integrity for all members of our community. This is the same expectation I have of all coaches, staff, and student-athletes.”
Michigan is already part of an ongoing investigation relating to four Level II NCAA violations, stemming from an incident regarding Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh meeting with recruits during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
Michigan is scheduled to play Michigan State in East Lansing, Michigan, Saturday.
The ongoing investigation relating to recruiting saw a self-imposed suspension of Harbaugh by the university in August and a four-game punishment that was ultimately lowered to three after talks between the university and the NCAA fell through to alter the suspension.
Harbaugh served the three-game suspension and missed the contests against East Carolina University, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and Bowling Green State University, all of which the Wolverines won.
The Wolverines currently sit at 7-0 and are the No. 2-ranked team in the country.
The matchup between Ohio State and Michigan is on Nov. 25 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and this investigation could leave the Wolverines without their head coach, who is 2-0 in the last two years against Ohio State but sits with a 2-5 record all-time against the Buckeyes.
