University of Michigan staffer Connor Stalions has resigned, according to a school spokesperson. Stalions had refused to cooperate with any internal or external investigations or discussions, a source from the school confirmed. This news comes as Stalions is at the center of an NCAA investigation into an alleged scouting and sign-stealing scheme.
Stalions, who was initially suspended with pay on October 20, is accused of buying tickets to games in at least seven Big Ten stadiums over the past three seasons, including the 2023 season. While purchasing the tickets is not a violation of NCAA rules, using them to scout and record other teams would be a violation of the rules prohibiting in-person, on-campus scouting and the audio or video recording of signals.
Recently, screenshots of a person resembling Stalions on the Central Michigan sideline during the team’s game against Michigan State started circulating online. More photos of the person were obtained by The Athletic, and Central Michigan University (CMU) announced that it would be investigating whether Stalions was indeed on its sideline wearing CMU apparel during the September 1 game against the Spartans. If the identity of the man on the CMU sideline is confirmed to be Stalions, this would be the first known instance of him attending an opponent’s game in person before they played against the Wolverines.
CMU coach Jim McElwain expressed his concern about the situation, stating, “We’re totally unaware of it. I certainly don’t condone it in any way, shape, or form. There’s no place in football for that.” The investigation by CMU is ongoing.
The news of Stalions’ resignation comes amidst growing frustration within the Big Ten conference. Coaches and athletic directors from the league’s schools have met with Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti this week to voice their concerns and urge action against the Wolverines following the evidence of the scouting and sign-stealing scheme. While Petitti has the authority to issue punishment under the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, he has stated that he wants to let the investigative process play out, including giving Michigan the opportunity to respond to the NCAA’s findings.
However, officials from the other 13 Big Ten schools believe that Petitti has already gathered enough evidence to take action. Ticket purchases made by Stalions for games in Big Ten opponents’ stadiums, along with in-stadium surveillance footage showing people in those seats filming the sidelines, have been cited as evidence of Michigan’s alleged misconduct.
Purdue coach Ryan Walters voiced his frustrations on Thursday, stating, “There’s video evidence…We know for a fact that they were at a number of our games, so we’ve had to teach our guys a new language in terms of some signals.” The Purdue Boilermakers are scheduled to face the Wolverines on Saturday night.
The situation continues to develop, with the entire NCAA and Big Ten community eagerly awaiting further action on the investigation.
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