Following his discovery as a person of interest in an investigation into his possible involvement in in-person scouting and sign-stealing schemes for the program, Connor Stalions formally resigned from his staffer post at Michigan.
The Athletic obtained the resignation-related remarks from Stalions and his legal representative.
In a statement provided to The Athletic, Connor Stalions expressed his love for the University of the State of Michigan and its football program and expressed gratitude for the chance to work with coach Harbaugh, and the other coaches who have been an important part of the Michigan football family throughout his tenure, as well as the amazing student-athletes.
He went on to say that he would still support the squad and did not want to take away from their hopes of winning a championship.
https://t.co/jVsOruIILV pic.twitter.com/w6BRkhXLkG
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 4, 2023
Tonight in Ann Arbor (7:30 p.m., NBC), Michigan, riding high with an 8-0 record and a No. 3 rating in the College Football Playoff, takes on Purdue. Despite this, the program is still being investigated for possible violations of NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which forbids in-person scouting. The majority of it has been connected to Stalions.
Stalions, who had been spotted on the Wolverines’ sidelines for several seasons near defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and head coach Jim Harbaugh among other full-time Michigan football assistants, were initially rumored to have been fired on Friday by Michigan officials.
The school stated that Connor Stalions had resigned, though, and in a subsequent statement, the graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy asserted that Stalions was the only one behind the alleged complex strategy to take signs and spies in person.
At first, it was said that Connor Stalions had been dismissed, but later on, Michigan said he had resigned. This was his first public statement since the start of the NCAA’s probe into the controversy.
In a statement to The Athletic, Brad Beckworth, the agent of the Stalions, added that neither Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh nor anyone on his staff was aware of any wrongdoing.
Michigan is under investigation by the NCAA for reportedly sending personnel to watch rival teams play to capture footage that might be utilized to decipher their in-game signals.
Ryan Walters, the coach at Purdue, stated on his radio show on Thursday that they were certain to have attended several of their games. He continued by saying that they had to teach their guys a new tongue.
The NCAA is still looking into Michigan despite the Stalions’ previous penalty and resignation. It doesn’t seem like any more culpable parties have been found within the program, though.
Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel stated on 97.1 The Ticket, via Clayton Sayfie, that the NCAA was almost certain to inform U-M that another person, all the way up to Harbaugh, was working with Connor Stalions on the Michigan staff and that person would be suspended because the NCAA is attempting to level the playing field.
Blames On Connor Stalions
It is thought that Stalions, whose official position is analytics assistant, has bought tickets to over thirty college football games featuring twelve of the other thirteen Big Ten universities. He is charged with giving such tickets to friends, relatives, and acquaintances, paying for their travel, and giving them instructions to record a team’s sideline in an attempt to obtain signals, according to documents and other sources.
An outside investigative firm first contacted the NCAA with documents of video files and databases accessed by Stalions, who were suspended alongside pay by Michigan on October 20, according to a report published last month that cited unnamed sources.
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