Michigan Football Faces Major Penalties in NCAA Sign-Stealing Case

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The NCAA has finally wrapped up its investigation into the Michigan football sign-stealing scandal, leading to some serious penalties for the Wolverines.

The fallout involves a number of penalties from the NCAA, including:

The Wolverines will lose out on postseason football revenue for the next two years, with losses projected to exceed $20 million.
Coach Sherrone Moore is set to receive a two-year show-cause penalty, which includes sitting out three games—two of them this season and one at the start of the 2026 season.
The scandal also resulted in an eight-year show-cause order for Connor Stalions, a now-former staffer at the heart of it all, banning him from participating in any athletic activities during that span.
Ex-coach Jim Harbaugh is facing a lengthy 10-year show-cause penalty that kicks in on August 7, 2028. This follows his current four-year sanction.
Another three-year show-cause for Denard Robinson, a former Michigan staffer.
Four years of probation for the entire program.
A $50,000 fine plus 10% of the football budget.
There will also be restrictions on official visits, with a 25% reduction this season.
The fine will equate to 10% of the scholarships awarded by Michigan football this year.
No recruiting communications in football during the 14-week probation period.

So, what exactly happened with the sign-stealing scandal that led to all this?

The Inside Track on the Michigan Sign-Stealing Scandal

This whole mess goes back to Harbaugh’s time as the head coach, covering from 2015 to 2023.

In the 2023 season, it came to light that the NCAA was looking into allegations of Michigan breaking rules about advanced scouting.

Stalions, who was a lower-tier staff member at the time, took center stage during this scandal. He bought tickets for various individuals to attend games featuring future opponents, where they would capture footage of the rivals’ sideline.

In a Netflix documentary, Stalions openly admitted to many of the accusations. He shared how he learned the signs from opposing teams and relayed that info to Michigan’s players on the field.

The signs are crucial—they guide players in formations, play calls, and game strategies. Knowing these beforehand can significantly affect game outcomes.

This shady business reportedly stretched over three years and even included Stalions attempting to blend in at a 2023 Central Michigan game against Michigan State.

What We Saw from the Big Ten Initially

As details emerged, the Big Ten didn’t hesitate to act. They handed Harbaugh a suspension for the last three games of Michigan’s 2023 regular season, which turned out to be quite controversial—especially considering some of those games were vital matchups against Penn State and Ohio State.

In July, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti informed the NCAA about the actions they took and suggested that they believed Michigan had already faced enough repercussions and didn’t require further punishments, according to a report from ESPN.

The Aftermath of the Scandal

Following the initial findings, Stalions resigned from his position at Michigan in November 2023. Shortly after, Chris Partridge, the team’s linebackers coach, was let go due to lacking cooperation with the investigation. Reports then hinted that Partridge destroyed critical evidence related to the case, allegations he firmly refuted.

A Chaotic But Successful 2023 Season

Despite everything, Michigan, under the direction of Moore, who stepped in as interim coach during Harbaugh’s suspension, won everyone’s hearts by clinching the Big Ten title and even a national championship.

After the season, both Harbaugh and several staff members parted ways with Michigan. Harbaugh landed the head coach position at the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, while Moore took over as the permanent head coach for the Wolverines.

As the NCAA’s investigation slid toward a notice of allegations that dropped last year, Michigan stood its ground, arguing that the NCAA overstepped its bounds.

The Situation Regarding Sherrone Moore

Reports in May hinted at Michigan opting for self-imposed measures, including a two-game suspension for Moore due to him deleting message exchanges with Stalions once the news broke.

Moore is regarded as a repeat offender by the NCAA, linking back to earlier rule breaches concerning the recruitment of high school players. This history caused additional complications in the sign-stealing saga, as the NCAA tends to scrutinize repeat violators closely.

The self-imposed ban will leave Moore unavailable for two critical games—against Central Michigan and at Nebraska—during the 2025 season, while also affecting his ability to coach the 2026 season opener versus Western Michigan.