NCAA hands down hefty fines, suspensions to Michigan football for sign-stealing investigation

The NCAA announced hefty fines and suspensions for the University of Michigan football program as a result of its sign-stealing investigation.

In its investigation, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions panel found that over three years from 2021 to 2023, Michigan committed violations involving "an off-campus, in-person scouting scheme, impermissible recruiting inducements and communications, head coach responsibility rules, individuals' failures to cooperate and Michigan's failure to monitor."

Michigan was given four years' probation, a $50,000 fine, plus 10% of the budget for the program, and a "fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing associated with the 2025 and 2026 football seasons."

The school also received a 25% reduction in football official visits during the upcoming season and a 14-week probation on recruiting communications in the program during the probation period. 

Coach Sherrone Moore was given a two-year show-cause order and will be suspended for three games. In May, Michigan proposed a two-game suspension of Moore during the 2025 season. Under the proposal, Moore would be suspended for its third and fourth games against Central Michigan and Nebraska, respectively. Moore also will be suspended for the first game of the 2026 season at Western Michigan. 

Apart from the suspension, Moore is not prohibited from coaching or engaging in any other athletic-related activities during the show-cause period. 

Former low-level staffer Connor Stalions, who was at the certain of the NCAA's investigation, was given an eight-year show-cause order, restricting him from all athletically related activities during the show-cause period. 

Former coach Jim Harbaugh was issued a 10-year show-cause order, which begins on Aug. 7, 2028, following the conclusion of a four-year show-cause from a previous case. 

Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for three weeks during the 2023 season after the NCAA launched its investigation. 

The former Michigan quarterback left to coach the Los Angeles Chargers after the 2023 season, after leading Michigan to its first national championship since 1997. 

Denard Robinson also was given a three-year show-cause order, restricting him from all athletically related activities during that period. 

The NCAA says former assistant coaches Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale have agreed to violations and penalties for their roles. 

The investigation stems from an alleged "impermissible scouting scheme" orchestrated by Stalions during a three-year period. 

"During the 2021, 2022 and 2023 football seasons, Stalions directed and arranged for individuals to conduct off-campus, in-person scouting of Michigan's future regular-season opponents. In doing so, Stalions purchased game tickets and transferred them to those individuals, who included another staff member, interns and acquaintances of Stalions. The network of individuals was referred to as the "KGB." While in attendance, they filmed the signal callers on the future opponents' sidelines and then provided that film to Stalions. Using the footage they collected — which Stalions referred to as "dirty film" — Stalions then deciphered opponents' signals. Stalions and other individuals involved in the scheme acknowledged or corroborated this process. Additionally, on one occasion, Stalions personally attended a future opponent's contest. In total, 56 instances of off-campus, in-person scouting of 13 future regular-season opponents occurred across 52 contests. Stalions' conduct resulted in a collective Level I violation of the impermissible scouting rule that expressly prohibits off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents," the NCAA report read. 

View a copy of the NCAA's full report below: 

Stalions was on Harbaugh's staff until he resigned amid the scandal in November 2023. 

Since leaving Michigan, Stalions served as a volunteer defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Detroit Mumford High School during the 2024 season before taking on offensive coordinator duties for Belleville High School during its 2024 MHSAA playoff run. 

Stalions broke his silence last year in Netflix's "Untold: Sign Stealer and said in the documentary that he did not break any NCAA rules. 

Michigan kicks off its 2025 season on Aug. 30 at Michigan Stadium against New Mexico State.