Outraged coaches push Big Ten commissioner to punish Michigan ‘right now’ for sign-stealing saga
Tony Petitti is in his first year as the Big Ten’s commissioner.
nypost.com
By Matt Ehalt
Opposing Big Ten coaches are fed up with Michigan and its alleged sign-stealing scandal.
A “vast majority” of the league’s coaches expressed their problems with the sign-stealing saga to Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti in a video call Wednesday night, according to ESPN.
The coaches urged the commissioner – while Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was not on the line – to take action against the back-to-back defending conference champions.
“Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act — right now,” a source told ESPN. “What are we waiting on? We know what happened.”
Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing operation has rocked the college football world and new details seemingly emerging each day.
The Wolverines already suspended alleged mastermind Connor Stalions, who is now being investigated for possibly posing as a Central Michigan staffer for a Michigan State game.
Stalions allegedly scouted opponents in-person, which is outlawed, and bought tickets to more than 30 opponents’ games over the last three years.
The NCAA is known for dragging its feet with potential suspensions, and it’s not surprising Harbaugh’s coaching brethren would push for swift action amid the NCAA investigation.
No. 2 Michigan is 8-0 and could return to the College Football Playoff.
Michigan still has a home game with No. 3 Ohio State and a road tilt with No. 9 Penn State on its schedule.
The coaches told Petitti how the alleged sign stealing would have helped Michigan over the last three years, and labeled the results as “tainted,” “fraudulent” and “unprecedented,” per the report.
“People don’t understand the seriousness of it,” a source told ESPN. “How it truly impacted the game plan. To truly know if it’s a run or a pass, people don’t understand how much of an advantage that was for Michigan.”
ESPN reported that Petitti, who started in May, did not tip his hand during the meeting, and the conference has the option to punish Michigan under the league’s Sportsmanship Policy.
That clause, though, is reportedly unlikely to be invoked.
“I don’t think the Big Ten understood how upset everyone was,” a source told ESPN. “The tenor of the call was asking the Big Ten to show leadership — the conference and the presidents. An unprecedented violation of the rules would require unprecedented action from the Big Ten.”