Sign stealing itself is not against the rules, but the methodology on how signs are obtained matters.
Now that Connor Stalions has resigned from Michigan football, the Wolverines are learning more about other teams’ sign-stealing efforts against the maize and blue.
According to the Associated Press’ Larry Lage, a former sign stealer from another Big Ten team has provided details about how his former team stole Michigan’s signs and shared them with other programs within the conference.
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A former employee at a Big Ten football program said Monday it was his job to steal signs, and he was given details from multiple league schools to compile a spreadsheet of play-calling signals used by Michigan last year.
The employee said he recently shared the documents, which showed the Wolverines’ signs and corresponding plays — as well as screenshots of text-message exchanges with staffers at other Big Ten schools — with Michigan. He spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he feared the disclosures could impact his coaching career.
The spreadsheet was compiled with details from a handful of coaches and programs across the Big Ten, the person said. He also said he gave the details to Michigan last week because he hoped it would help Jim Harbaugh’s embattled program, and he believes Harbaugh and his coaches are being unfairly blamed for the actions of a rogue staffer.
While this doesn’t erase what has happened in Ann Arbor, the important pieces here are this former staffer had Michigan’s signs and they were shared with other teams. Per the report, this would possibly break the Big Ten’s sportsmanship law, which is the provision that commissioner Tony Petitti would be using to suspend Jim Harbaugh.
The alleged actions by conference schools potentially violate the Big Ten’s sportsmanship policy, which could lead to punishment by the commissioner’s office. Harbaugh’s program also faces that possibility.
More on this story as it develops.