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Joel Klatt calls NCAA 'inept' after handing Michigan its ruling for sign-stealing

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Trent Knoop | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 9:26 AM ET

Michigan was recently handed its 'penalties' for the 2023 sign-stealing saga. The Wolverines are being fined nearly $30 million, Sherrone Moore was handed an extra game suspension, and both Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions were hit with long show-causes. But the Wolverines will not serve a post-season ban, nor will Michigan have to vacate wins from its national title run.

Everyone has their opinion on the matter, and long-time FOX commentator, Joel Klatt, recently gave his. Like most people, Klatt bashed the NCAA and its process of handing down these penalties. One of the top voices of college football is amazed how slow this process was.

“And even before you read what the penalties are, even before that, you don't even have to tell me what the penalties are. For me to immediately roll my eyes and think to myself, the NCAA has zero teeth because it's so late. It drags on for so long," Klatt said of the NCAA's process.

“They have so much red tape. They are completely inept at governing college football, completely. That being said, they do still have a role, or at least they think they do.”

Klatt went on to bash the NCAA for giving Harbaugh a 10-year show cause. Why? Because Harbaugh is never returning to college football. If the NCAA wanted to hurt Michigan as a team, Klatt believes it should've suspended Moore for the Oklahoma game. But instead, the NCAA is not only allowing Moore to coach against the school he played for, but the extra game suspension won't take place until the 2026 season against Western Michigan.

“So he's going to sit out games three and four this year, which conveniently misses the suspension, misses the week two game in Norman against Oklahoma," Klatt said of the NCAA's ruling of Moore. "By the way, where Sherrone Moore went to school. And then that additional game, and I immediately thought to myself, like, okay, they gave them the Oklahoma game as well.

"The third game is the Oklahoma game. The NCAA drew a spine and said, no, no, no, no, that's not enough. So you're also going to sit out the Oklahoma game, which would hurt them as a team, and more specifically him personally, since he went to Oklahoma.

"But no, no, no, no, no, that's not what the NCAA did. They said, hey, you're going to sit out an extra game, but it's going to be the opening game next year when you go to Ireland and face Western Michigan. What?”

Klatt has been a consistent voice during this Michigan saga. He has been saying that if the Wolverines were found guilty, they should be punished. However, he also doesn't believe it should affect players or coaches who had nothing to do with the scandal. While the $30 million fine is a big one -- even for Michigan -- he is happy the NCAA didn't punish this current team with a postseason ban. Klatt says the NCAA has to get quicker with its punishments if it wants to really punish a team.

“Okay, so I've remained consistent about that. So I'm glad that they didn't give them a postseason ban, and yet I think that's all that people would want who are on the outside. I don't think there's any way that you can make this fair," said Klatt.

"There's just none. And that largely speaks to the inept nature of the NCAA. They're too slow.

"They take too long. You can't punish in real time. At least the Big Ten's punishment was in the season when they got the information and they can hurt that team, that coach who committed the so-called infractions.”

While Michigan is appealing the large fine, the Wolverines can now focus on football, which is slated to start August 30 against New Mexico.

This article first appeared on Michigan Wolverines on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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