On Friday, the NCAA Infractions Committee is expected to publicly announce its findings, including any additional punishments, from its two-year investigation into Michigan‘s much-publicized 2023 sign-stealing scandal involving former staffer Connor Stalions. The Wolverines have already self-imposed a two-game suspension for second-year head coach Sherrone Moore, who was Michigan’s offensive coordinator during its national championship-winning 2023 campaign.
During a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN insider Pete Thamel shed some insight into what the Wolverines could expect when the NCAA drops the proverbial hammer, and even hinted that any additional discipline would hit more like a feather. Back in May, Michigan announced it was suspending Moore for the third and fourth games of the 2025 season against Central Michigan and at Nebraska as part of self-imposed penalties for his involvement in the scandal. Moore allegedly deleted more than 50 text messages from Stalions the same day the sign-stealing scandal broke in October 2023, according to ESPN.
“This will likely be, but not certainly, the final chapter of the litigation of this case through the NCAA process. We’re going to find out tomorrow any potential punishment for Michigan, … which is likely to be a hefty fine,” Thamel said Thursday afternoon. “And there’s not an expectation there’s going to be any postseason ban, and there’s not an expectation that any of their accomplishments are going to be taken away.
“The real news that’s going to come out of tomorrow is going to be regarding the suspension of Sherrone Moore. Michigan, back in May, I believe, self-imposed two games for Sherrone – Game 3 and Game 4 of this season. And what we’re going to find out from the NCAA tomorrow is that accepted or if they’re going to add any additional suspensions. Remember, he obviously deleted a thread of 52 text messages (from Stalions) in this.”
NCAA to release ruling on Michigan infractions case on Friday
Based on previous NCAA rulings that also involve self-imposed penalties, Thamel suggested the NCAA might add a game or two to Moore’s team-imposed suspension, but any additional punishments aren’t expected to go overboard. And given all the speculation Michigan has endured over the past few years with the Stalions sign-stealing scandal hanging over its head, another game or two might just be considered a win in Ann Arbor.
“Typically, as these things go, when you self-impose, it’s like buying a used car; you don’t go above the bluebook value when you make your first offer, you go below the bluebook value. So, there’s an expectation that there could be a slight addition to it potentially,” Thamel continued. “Just if you look at the history of these cases, when people do self-impose, sometimes it’s accepted, sometimes there’s an added (suspension), but it won’t be radically different than the two (games) that are there.
“Now there’s potential for appeals, too, so I’m not going to say this is over forever. But this is certainly a large piece of this weird, wild scandal that is coming to a conclusion.”
Then-Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh already served a three-game suspension at the end of the 2023 regular season. He remains on the hook for an NCAA-levied one-year suspension and a four-year show-cause order stemming from a prior case involving impermissible recruiting during the COVID-19 dead period in 2021.
Back in June, the NCAA Committee of Infractions had a hearing regarding the case. The focus of that was in-person advanced scouting of opponents, which violates NCAA rules. Now, it appears as if they’re nearing an announcement on that investigation.
For his part in the sign-stealing saga, Stalions — who was accused of orchestrating friends and colleagues to attend opponents’ games, scout them in-person, and potentially even try and steal signs — was forced to resign from Michigan and is now in the high school coaching ranks. Former Wolverines assistant coach Chris Partridge was later fired as well.
It was in August of 2024 when Michigan received its initial Notice of Allegations regarding the scandal. In the initial reports about the NOA, the NCAA was accusing Michigan and Stalions of impermissibly scouting at least 13 future opponents on at least 58 occasions between 2021 and 2023.
— On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report.
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