Big Ten coaches are right to demand league take action against Michigan

Big Ten coaches have had enough. They want the league to take action against Michigan for its alleged sign-stealing scheme, and rightfully so.

"'Every game they played is tainted," a source told ESPN's Pete Thamel after a video call between Big Ten coaches and conference commissioner Tony Pettiti on the NCAA's investigation into Michigan. 

Reports surfaced recently revealing an alleged scheme by Wolverines analyst Connor Stalions to steal future opponents' signs by attending their games and recording their sidelines — he even allegedly was spotted on the sideline during a Central Michigan-Michigan State game earlier this season. (What Michigan allegedly did is against the rules, per the NCAA.) Michigan suspended Stalions after ESPN reported he was at the "center of [the] scouting scheme." 

There's a clear difference between decoding a team's signs during a game or during the traditional scouting process and what Michigan allegedly did. The rest of the Big Ten let conference officials know about it during a conference call late Wednesday night.

Per Thamel, "a chorus of voices" encouraged the league "to take action against Michigan in a call that was described as both intense and emotional."

Thamel added that a source described as "familiar with the call" said, "Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act — right now. What are we waiting on? We know what happened."

Another source told Thamel, "People don't understand the seriousness of it. How it truly impacted the game plan. To truly know if it's a run or a pass, people don't understand how much of an advantage that was for Michigan."

The NCAA took half the season to determine North Carolina wide receiver Tez Walker's eligibility, so no one should expect it to show any competency or urgency in the Michigan case. Clearly, the conference must act, which is within its jurisdiction.

As Thamel notes, "The Big Ten technically has the authority under its Sportsmanship Police to punish Michigan or members of the coaching staff."

One bold move would be to ban the Wolverines (8-0) from this season's Big Ten Championship Game. As good as Michigan is, it's hard to know how much of an advantage the team gained from information gathered by Stalions and others.

However, punishing players without any role in the scheme would be unfair to them. The NCAA as an institution has moved away from punishing teams and instead has gone after individuals when infractions occur. With that in mind, the Big Ten could suspend head coach Jim Harbaugh and any others on his staff who had prior knowledge of the sign-stealing scheme.

It's becoming increasingly clear the conference can't sit back and wait for the NCAA's investigation to finish.

"The league could also initiate its own investigation into potential violations of the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy," wrote Thamel. 

However, he noted, "Sources expressed curiosity as to whether the Big Ten is truly interested in taking action or just listening to coaches so they can be heard." 

The longer Petitti waits, the bigger the stain this will be on the conference and Michigan. And the thing about stains is the longer they sit, the harder they are to get out.