Michigan gets some level of clarity on timeline for sign-stealing punishments

According to TheWolverine.com, the NCAA is prepared to issue a notice of allegations (NOA) sometime this week when it comes to the Michigan sign-stealing scandal. With the Netflix documentary coming out about Connor Stalions, this obviously had to be expedited. While it may take another year or so for the larger and more painful punishments to be doled it, they are coming.

The report says that Stalions will receive Level 1 violations for his role in the scandal for in-person scouting and whatnot. Another former Michigan staffer is slated to receive Level 2 violations for paying for athletes' dinners. Stalions may also be slapped with a failure to cooperate during the investigation both during and after his Michigan employment. It may or may not be part of the NOA.

The Wolverine also reported that while no current Michigan staffer is expected to be punished, there is a rumor that one still on staff allegedly deleted text messages between he and Stalions. That could open up another can of worms if that evidence is ever found. Furthermore, there is growing belief that the NCAA may make an example of out Michigan, possibly even implementing a rare postseason ban.

Of course, it may not go in front of the NCAA Committee on Infractions before midway through 2025. As expected, Michigan is going to fight any punishment the NCAA tries to hit them with tooth and nail. Simply put, there is too much evidence against them to say they were innocent of any wrongdoing, but they may not be guilty of anything and everything we imagined that they might be.

The whole thing is a mess, but at least we are finally about to get some resolution on the matter.

When we could expect to see some resolution on Michigan sign-stealing

With Netflix's latest installment of its Untold series coming out about Stalions with an episode centered around Stalions titled "Sign Stealer", the NCAA has to get out ahead of this before it debuts in a little less than a month on Aug. 27. It will always be a dark mark on Michigan winning the national championship last year. Truth be told, I think there is more to this than what The Wolverine revealed.

The big thing to me is it does not seem like new head coach Sherrone Moore will be implicated in any way. My thought is he was kept in the dark through all of this so that Michigan could retain some of its culture, while others in the wrong left for the NFL. You see what I am getting at, right? We could be looking at multi-year show causes for the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Jay Harbaugh and Jesse Minter.

The good news is it doesn't seem like the NCAA is going to take away Michigan's national championship. If they were still stealing signs during last season, well, they were stupid to do so. The 2024 Wolverines went 15-0 and beat everyone they played. Nobody else can say they did that last season. Of course, we have to wonder if the NCAA will actually try to implement a postseason ban.

I don't think in this day and age you can really do that in major college athletics. If Michigan is good enough to make the College Football Playoff for the fourth year in a row, let them play. It wasn't like MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was able to implement a postseason ban for the Houston Astros in the wake of their sign-stealing scandal. College sports are different, but they are becoming the same.

So no, I would not be in favor of a postseason ban for Michigan whenever that day comes. I think that is an incredibly harsh and stupid punishment the NCAA occasionally likes to dole out. This is because you are hurting players and coaches on a team for what players and coaches from yesteryear did. Make it make sense! Of course, I am in favor of show causes, scholarship reductions and whatnot.

We should be getting something this week, but will not get full resolution until around 2025 or 2026.