Big Ten coaches frustrated with league’s treatment of Michigan: Sources

Over the past two weeks, college football coaches have been fascinated by the alleged sign-stealing scheme in Michigan, but within the Big Ten the topic has been more than just a curiosity. During the Big Ten coaches’ video call Wednesday with commissioner Tony Petitti, and after Jim Harbaugh left the call, that frustration was expressed loud and clear, according to the conference’s coaches, who said they don’t feel the new Big Ten commissioner is “motivated.” to do something about the Wolverines.

“There’s just a lot of frustration,” one Big Ten coach said The Athletics on Thursday morning. “Look at Jim Harbaugh’s record before this started. The man was in the number one spot before 2021 and now he is the king of college football. … Undoubtedly, all this has had a profound effect.

“This man is now under investigation for three different things: the (alleged) illegal signal stealing, the (alleged) illegal recruiting during COVID and that investigation into the offensive coordinator and the alleged computer hacking. There are guys (on that call) who could lose their jobs, and then there’s this guy right here (Harbaugh) who’s going to get a new, bigger contract now, and they’re not going to do anything about him.

When asked to describe the tone of the coaches’ sentiment toward Petitti, another Big Ten coach called it “angry” — mainly because of the Big Ten’s lack of action, or even apparent interest in taking action to undertake.

“Everyone is upset,” the coach said The Athletics. “Why is nothing being done? We want to know: what else do you need to know to take action? We (the Big Ten head coaches) want something done now. I don’t think people understand the benefit that what they (supposedly) do gives you. People think, ‘Okay, now that everyone knows, we can all just move on.’ Like: ‘now it’s fair.’ Well no, it’s not. Not at all. This changes the way you work. Many teams have been doing things a certain way for years. Now it forces you to teach your players a whole new way to communicate, just for them. People think this is just advanced scouting. This was damn near spying.”

A third Big Ten head coach related it The Athletics that this is “one of the most egregious violations of the spirit of the game” he has ever heard of.

“They (Michigan) have been rigging the game and cheating the game for two and a half years. To know exactly what the other team is doing, Michigan might as well have played with 15 men on the field,” he said. “What is the message the Big Ten is sending now by doing nothing? Win now, pay later? We might as well send people to (scout) their training and competitions. It doesn’t encourage anyone to follow the rules. It just means they have to do the opposite and say f– it.”

The NCAA is investigating Michigan’s football program following allegations that the Wolverines used illegal in-person scouting and signal recording to steal signs this season. Before the Michigan-Michigan State game on Oct. 21, the Big Ten approached MSU and said they were aware of “credible evidence” regarding the sign-stealing allegations. The Big Ten said it would monitor the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan.

“The Big Ten is so much more powerful than the NCAA,” that third Big Ten Coach said. “Why do you sit back and do nothing about this? The Big Ten can’t spend the last thirty years patting itself on its back about doing the right thing ethically (while other conferences like the SEC don’t) and then allowing it to continue. If this were a team in the bottom half of the Big Ten, would this be handled the same way?

“If a running back gets hurt against Michigan because they knew exactly what was going to happen, will that kid and his family have the ability to sue the Big Ten?”

The NCAA investigation is ongoing, a process that is typically slow, making it difficult to imagine a resolution will be reached by the time the postseason begins. The Big Ten does have the ability to act under its sportsmanship policy, but that doesn’t mean they want to act quickly or decisively before the NCAA completes its entire investigation and gives Michigan a chance to respond to its findings.

This is an unprecedented situation; whatever Petitti decides to do (or not do) will set a precedent. The Big Ten itself has no investigators, so they have to rely on the NCAA to do that part — and to determine who else was involved in the alleged scouting scheme. It’s not clear exactly what the coaches want the league to do to punish Michigan; for example, banning the team from playing in the Big Ten Championship would harm players who had nothing to do with the sign-stealing device.

A source with knowledge of the coaches’ call said Big Ten coaches are concerned about whether Michigan “should represent the Big Ten.”

“No matter what happens, if Michigan keeps moving forward, the clouds will follow,” the source said. “They’re reading the tea leaves and wondering why the Big Ten hasn’t done anything yet. Every week and every day that passes, people say, “Something has to be done.” Things get a little out of hand when you see him (allegedly) on the Central Michigan sideline. The playing field is currently not level. How can you have a team that you know has a competitive advantage over you still getting to play? That’s what the coaches are struggling with.”

“It feels like (former commissioner) Kevin (Warren) takes over and then COVID,” the source continued. “Tony gets put in this situation and people are calling on the league to make a statement before they have all the facts.”

Despite frustration from all corners of the conference, sources from four different Big Ten schools said they don’t expect the conference to impose any type of punishment against Michigan before the season ends.

Earlier this week, Central Michigan said it is investigating whether suspended Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was on the CMU sideline during the Chippewas’ Sept. 1 game at Michigan State. Screenshots of a person resembling Stalions began circulating online Monday evening, and The Athletics obtained more photos of the person on the sidelines on Tuesday.

Central Michigan is investigating whether the person on the right is Connor Stals on the CMU sideline at Michigan State earlier this season.

AD Amy Folan: “We became aware of these photos late yesterday and we are in the process of determining the facts surrounding them.” pic.twitter.com/ncazAghBbS

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 31, 2023

Stalions, who was suspended with pay by Michigan on Oct. 20, is at the center of the NCAA’s investigation into the alleged scouting and sign-stealing scheme. Stallions bought tickets to games at at least seven Big Ten stadiums before those teams played the Wolverines the past three seasons, including the 2023 season, sources said The Athletics last month. Purchasing the tickets is not a violation of NCAA rules, but using them to scout and record other teams would violate the rules, prohibiting on-campus scouting and the audio or video recording of signals is prohibited.

‘These are not accusations. It happened,” Purdue coach Ryan Walters said Thursday night his radio program prior to Saturday’s game against the Wolverines. “There is video evidence. There are ticket purchases and sales that you can track. We’re sure they were at some of our games. We had to teach our boys a new language.”

On Monday, coach Jim Harbaugh met with reporters and said “the people who know us the most think about us the most” as Michigan faces the NCAA investigation. He has denied knowledge of the alleged scouting.

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(Photo: David Berding/Getty Images)