NCAA to release findings from Michigan football investigation Friday
Michigan will finally learn its punishment from a NCAA investigation into an alleged illegal scouting/sign-stealing scheme.The NCAA formally notified all of the involved parties on Thursday morning that the findings will be publicly released on Friday, according to an NCAA email obtained by The Detroit News. The findings will be released by noon.This will be the culmination of an investigation launched Oct. 19, 2023 by the NCAA and that focused on the alleged scheme orchestrated by former player personnel analyst Connor Stalions. Michigan was in the midst of its undefeated season when notified of the investigation. The Big Ten suspended then-head coach Jim Harbaugh three games at the end of the regular season for a violation of the Sportsmanship Policy because of information the NCAA gave the conference.Michigan ultimately won the national championship in Harbaugh’s ninth season as head coach. Harbaugh then left to become the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.In early June, Michigan went before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions for two days in to present its defense. The program faced 11 allegations, six of them Level I, the NCAA’s most severe, including one involving current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore. Sign stealing is not against NCAA rules, but The NCAA does have rules prohibiting in-person advanced scouting of opponents. Using electronic equipment to record another team’s signals is not permitted.Moore, then the offensive coordinator/offensive line coach, deleted a string of 52 text messages with Stalions the day news of the investigation broke in October 2023. Moore turned over his phone to the NCAA and has publicly acknowledged deleting the texts saying last August he “looks forward” to the release of the texts. Moore already had faced NCAA punishment after he negotiated a one-game suspension in 2023 for his involvement in the 2021 NCAA investigation into Michigan’s illegal recruiting during the COVID-19 pandemic.While six of the allegations were related to Stalions and the illegal scouting, the others involved recruiting. Yahoo obtained the Michigan response in late January, and reported the NCAA believes Michigan “failed to monitor” its football program considering the several years Stalions is alleged to have illegally scouted opponents. The university and several of its coaches were considered repeat offenders, which Michigan reportedly refuted in its response, while saying the NCAA was “overreaching” in its findings and requested the NCAA use “common sense” and treat the case as Level II infractions and not Level I.Michigan already is in a probationary period having received a three-year probation until April 9, 2027, resulting from the 2021 NCAA investigation into recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan additionally received recruiting limits and a fine. The NCAA dealt with Harbaugh separately and gave him a four-year show cause order and a one-year suspension.This decision is separate from an NCAA investigation into Central Michigan University that also involves Stalions. CMU confirmed to The Detroit News late last month that it is negotiating a resolution with the NCAA relating to Stalions, who allegedly appeared in disguise on the CMU sideline in a game at Michigan State in 2023. According to the NCAA’s online infractions dashboard, CMU was issued an NOA on June 27, 2025.achengelis@detroitnews.com@chengelis
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