The Michigan sign-stealing saga has now been in the news cycle for it seems like an eternity and we're finally beginning to get a peek at what might be coming for the Wolverines, who are fresh off a third-straight Big Ten title and a College Football Playoff national championship last season.
ESPN has obtained a draft of the notice of allegations from the NCAA, and despite reporting and sourcing we've heard from some, it appears as though Michigan might get hit harder than fans and administrators of the Maize and Blue might want. Details in the report pose problems on many fronts. Jim Harbaugh left the program for the NFL, but he was already a part of the findings for having contact with recruits during the COVID-19 dead period and was subsequently suspended at the beginning of last year. He and the program will now be looked at as repeat offenders, and that always lands harder than an isolated finding.
Current head coach, Sherrone Moore, is listed in the draft as a level 2 offender for the Connor Satlions sign-stealing operation after having already negotiated a settlement for the recruiting violations. You can argue Harbaugh isn't there any longer -- even though that doesn't mean as much as some think -- but the current head coach is now front and center and still involved heavily in the program obviously.
Stalions, for his part, despite resigning to potentially help Michigan's cause, did not cooperate and the NCAA appears to have proof that he was indeed on the sidelines at Central Michigan when the Chippewas played against Michigan State, further showing the depth of the operation.
There is even more, but none of this bodes well for the potential of what Michigan could face as far as penalties and sanctions. The NCAA has not received cooperation from many involved in Ann Arbor, there were firings and resignations because of it all, and you can almost bet it won't turn a blind eye to any of it.
We'll have to continue to see what comes to light, and I don't pretend to have any further insight than what's being reported, but based on what we've seen in the past with precedent and what's coming out, I'd be surprised if there isn't real, tangible, and painful penalties because of all of this.
More to come ...