Urban Meyer Makes Stance Clear on Michigan’s Sign-Stealing Scandal

"I got into it with some colleagues, even FOX colleagues, 'Wow, coach, everybody does that!' I was like, 'Everybody does what?' I even made some calls. I said, 'Have you ever heard this before?' They're like, 'No.' But whether other coaches have done that in the past, some people out there, reputable people, like Bruce Feldman, I think, told me, 'Well, this does happen at other places."

Meyer's thoughts are somewhat disjointed, but he does acknowledge the gravity of the allegations and their potential impact on a team's performance.

"I was like, 'Bruce, I've never heard of this before.' So a lot of it is to be determined on the surface. Is it a competitive advantage to know the signals of your opponents illegally? Of course it is. You know, people need to understand that when you say signals, there are only a couple of signals you can get that fast in real time. Is it a run or a pass? Is that significant? Hell yeah, it is. It's a tremendous advantage."

Meyer doesn't offer any inside knowledge of what is and is not true about the accusations or any punishments that may be imposed on Michigan. The 60-year-old former coach also believes the scope of the sign-stealing shouldn't be viewed as a serious infraction, as he rated it a "one" out of five in grading the seriousness of the violations.

Where Meyer's conversation led is to the College Sports Commission, and what a game-changer it could be if that group had subpoena power, which would allow it to investigate non-compliance more effectively. As it stands, the NCAA is limited in its scope, as it is not a government entity, to compel evidence from schools.

Speculation about the NCAA vacating Michigan's national championship hasn't been met with much credence. Even reports of a possible postseason ban haven't received much traction for roughly a year.