As the world turns has returned.
Michigan football has long been embroiled in a series of scandals this fall, with the sign-stealing saga taking center stage in college football. But as rival fans wait for another shoe to drop on the Wolverines, it may actually fall on someone else.
Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Bond opened Pandora’s box on Thursday when he said the Tide had stopped using Catapult film systems on their iPads and instead watched film in small groups in team facilities. While many were quick to suggest Michigan football was up to its old alleged shenanigans, the Wolverines shared on Friday that they stopped using Catapult on individual iPads in early November as a similar precaution.
Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel dropped a bombshell later on Friday noting that Michigan is not the centerpiece of an investigated Catapult breach.
Catapult, a video and data analysis company used in college football, confirms the NCAA and “local authorities” are investigating “unauthorized access” of footage.
The investigation is not centered on Michigan but rather on at least one other school, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) December 29, 2023
Catapult issued a statement on Friday morning declaring an internal investigation had found there was no breach, but that the investigation is ongoing.
Here’s where it gets interesting. According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and Tom VanHaaren, a Michigan football team spokesperson clarified the Wolverines are not being targeted for the breach, but are considered the victim of another program illegally accessing their Catapult.
The investigation was launched after an unnamed football program was accused of accessing video from other programs.
A Michigan spokesperson said that it is not being accused of the allegation and believed it was one of the schools targeted in the breach. Michigan shut down access to its Cloud and video through Catapult in the beginning of November to prevent any unauthorized access to its film.
Was it a team that was on the schedule in November? That would indicate Purdue, Penn State, Maryland or Ohio State as potential perpetrators, at least in the eyes of those within Schembechler Hall.
We’ll see where this investigation goes.