The NCAA on Friday handed down sweeping penalties to the University of Michigan football program for its sign-stealing scandal, levying fines that could surpass $30 million while sparing the Wolverines a postseason ban or loss of past victories.
The NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions imposed four years of probation, recruiting restrictions, and heavy financial penalties tied to postseason revenue, scholarships, and the football budget. The fines include a $50,000 base penalty plus 10 percent of Michigan’s football budget and scholarship costs for 2025-26, along with forfeiture of postseason revenue for two seasons.
Head coach Sherrone Moore received an additional one-game suspension for the 2026 opener against Western Michigan in Frankfurt, Germany, on top of a two-game suspension this fall. He also faces a two-year show-cause penalty. Moore, who has denied knowledge of the full scope of the scheme, said Friday he intends to keep the program in compliance moving forward.
Former staffer Connor Stalions, who orchestrated the advance-scouting operation, was issued an eight-year show-cause penalty. Ex-head coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, was hit with a 10-year show-cause beginning in 2028, following a previous four-year order. Former assistant coach Denard Robinson received a three-year show-cause for unrelated recruiting violations.
“The true scope and scale of the scheme will never be fully known,” said Norman Bay, chief hearing officer of the infractions panel, adding that the covert scouting network was designed “to gain a substantial competitive advantage.”
The case centered on more than 50 documented instances in which Stalions and others scouted opponents in person and filmed sideline signals between 2021 and 2023, during which Michigan won the 2023 national championship.
Michigan announced it would appeal, arguing the ruling misinterpreted the NCAA bylaws and ignored evidence. The decision underscores the NCAA’s shift toward financial punishments rather than postseason bans, a move aimed at avoiding penalties that directly impact current athletes.
Despite the sanctions, Michigan’s 2025 season will proceed, with Moore sidelined for two September games. The Wolverines open Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico.
Source: ESPN