The Latest on the Looming Charges Against Michigan Football

© Adam Cairns/USA TODAY NETWORK

Editor's note: Michael Germanese contributed to this article.

Michigan fans' worst nightmare has come true as the NCAA has announced its findings concerning the football program's involvement in the Connor Stalions scandal. Charges are looming.

For the past few months, Michigan fans have held onto hope and belief that the NCAA's findings would be less severe than previously alleged, but that’s not the case. The NCAA has charged that the Michigan coaching staff had direct involvement in the matter. The NCAA's Notice of Allegations (NOA) outlines a series of claimed violations.

Michigan, Looming Charges

NCAA investigators determined that Stalions was present on the sidelines, in disguise, during the Central Michigan and Michigan State games last fall. According to the draft NOA, Sherrone Moore and seven additional members of the 2023 football program could be facing penalties related to the case.

NCAA bylaw 11.6.1 prohibits teams from in-season, in-person scouting of future opponents. "Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited," the rule reads.

Per the draft NOA, Stalions impermissibly scouted at least 13 opponents on 58 occasions between 2021 and 2023 and directed others to scout additional opponents, including one team targeted seven times in 2022. Moore could face a show-cause penalty with a possible suspension for allegedly deleting a 52-text thread between Stalions and himself. This deletion occurred in October 2023, the same day that media reports revealed that Stalions led an effort to record playcalling signals of future opponents. Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation after subsequently producing the texts to enforcement staff.

After serving as the offensive coordinator for the Wolverines for several seasons, Moore took over as the head coach. He is considered a "repeat offender" after negotiating a resolution to prior allegations that he impermissibly contacted recruits during the COVID-19 dead period. Other (former) staff members accused of committing Level 1 violations are Jim Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson and Stalions. They could face serious sanctions in the NCAA’s enforcement process. Due to its "pattern of noncompliance within the football program," the school itself faces charges of Level 1 violations.

An interesting note: Stalions attended the Naval Academy and is a former Marine Corps captain. He came under fire after it was learned he purchased tickets for more than 30 games in three seasons at 11 different Big Ten Conference stadiums. Stalions even wrote a 500+ page manifesto that outlined how he was going to lead the Michigan football program one day.

B1G Forced to Act

The controversy put first-year Big Ten Commissioner Tony Pettiti in a very uncomfortable spot. For the first time, a major investigation was playing out in real-time, and Pettiti needed to decide if the conference would rule on the alleged violations—trumping the NCAA.

The picture of Stalions became the final straw. After it surfaced, coaches and athletic directors finally had enough and pressured Pettiti to act. Then on the eve of Michigan’s first big game of the 2023 season, Pettiti suspended Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season. It was Harbaugh's second three-game suspension of the season.

Pettiti's three-game suspension of Harbaugh did not affect the Wolverines' ability to win at the end of the season. Michigan won all three including a top-5 matchup with Ohio State and a top-10 game against Penn State. 

If anything, the suspension and the outside noise concerning a potential hammer coming down galvanized the team and gave them the belief they could overcome any adversity. Michigan went on to win its third straight B1G championship and first national championship since 1997.

Michigan now has 90 days to respond to the NOA. After that, the NCAA will have an additional 60 days to reply.

An appeal process could ensue if Michigan disagrees with the sanctions the NCAA metes out. Hence, the matter may drag out.

The Next Move

Due to the severe nature of the NOA, Michigan is now left contemplating its next move. Michigan President Santa Ono and Director of Athletics Warde Manuel must decide whether it's better to fight or find a solution satisfactory to both parties. 

This NOA could not have come at a worse time for Moore and his staff as they were finally starting to pick up steam on the recruiting trail. Michigan now faces the prospect of heavy sanctions, the harshest of which is rumored to be a postseason ban of up to two years.