Former D-III coach says he had role in Michigan sign-stealing scandal

A former Division III football player and coach claims to have been involved in Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme, and gave details of what was expected of him as a part of it.

The man, who declined to be identified due to privacy concerns, spoke to ESPN and said Michigan staffer Connor Stalions had offered him several hundred dollars and a ticket to a Michigan home game if he would attend a game and film the sideline of an upcoming Wolverines opponent. The man said he did so three times in the last two years and uploaded the videos to a shared iPhone album that Stalions had access to.

“I didn’t like it, but it’s a gray line,” he said, via Dan Murphy of ESPN. “You can call me naive, but no one is reading the bylaws. I’m not a contractual lawyer. … I just felt like if you’re not doing it, you’re not trying to get ahead.

“I wasn’t doing it for personal gain or hoping to get my foot in the door if Connor becomes a head coach someday. It was just I got to go to some Big Ten games, all right, sweet. And everyone else I felt was doing it to some degree. It’s a billion-dollar industry. You’re going to work in the gray areas as best you can.”

The man said Stalions used a personal Venmo account to pay him roughly $1,000 for his travel and time for the three games. He was set to attend a fourth between Indiana and Penn State this week, but once news of the investigation went public, he decided not to go.

This account is mostly in line with what has been reported. Michigan allegedly had a full schedule and budget for their sign-stealing operation, which had a wide reach and was clearly quite elaborate based on what has been reported.

Stalions is currently suspended with pay by Michigan as the NCAA investigates.