CMU’s Jim McElwain addresses Connor Stalions allegedly having been on sidelines for MSU game

This story gets wilder and wilder. #GoBlue

It’s a story with twists and turns, and just when you think you have a handle on what’s going on, there’s a new bombshell.

The latest in the Michigan football alleged sign-stealing scandal is that Central Michigan is investigating whether Wolverine staffer Connor Stalions was on the Chippewa sideline for the Week 1 game at Michigan State. With MSU being a future opponent for the maize and blue, Stalions’ presence would be an NCAA violation.

Rumors and Zapruder-esque screenshots circulated around social media on Monday night into Tuesday. It just so happened that Central Michigan played a game on Tuesday night, so head coach Jim McElwain addressed the situation.

He claims to be unaware of Stalions’ presence and took a harsh stance on the allegations and scandal as a whole.

“Before we go any further, we’re obviously aware of a picture floating around of the sign-stealer guy,” McElwain said. “People are doing everything they can to get to the bottom of it. We’re unaware, totally unaware of it. I certainly don’t condone it in any way, shape or form.

“I do know this: his name was on none of the passes that were let out. Now we just keep tracing it back and tracing it back and try to figure it out. It’s in good hands with our people and again, there’s no place in football for that.”

McElwain was the wide receivers coach for Michigan football in 2018 before he took the CMU head coaching job. He would have had some overlap with Stalions, who was an intern with the Wolverines at the time. Cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich also was a longtime assistant for the maize and blue, joining Jim Harbaugh’s squad in 2015 and departing following the 2020 season. Quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner was a student assistant in Ann Arbor from 2015-18.