Michigan Football: The hypocrisy of college football's 'cheating' outrage

Originally posted on Michigan Wolverines on SI
By Chris Breiler | Last updated Aug 17, 2025 11:38 AM ET

Back in 2000, B.J. Johnson was a highly coveted wide receiver prospect. Although he ultimately committed to play football for the Texas Longhorns, Johnson made a stunning claim about his recruitment relating to Urban Meyer. At the time, Meyer was the wide receivers coach for Notre Dame and went on a recruiting visit to see Johnson at his high school. According to Johnson, Meyer locked him in a room and asked how much money it would take to secure his commitment.

"Hell, Urban Meyer locked me in an office in my school, and no bullsh*t, asked me straight up," Johnson said in an interview. "He was like, 'BJ. How much?' And this was when he was at Notre Dame at the time. And, it caught me off guard because I just thought we (were) talking football. And he was like, ‘Nah, how much?' So, it's been going on."

Remember, this was two decades before NIL. Paying players wasn't a gray area then; it was straight-up cheating. And yes, it gave programs an undeniable competitive advantage. But sure, maybe Urban "cleaned up" once he got to Utah, Florida, or Ohio State. And if you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.

Upon reading Johnson's claims, you're probably not currently in a state of shock. The idea that Urban Meyer would offer to pay an elite prospect for his commitment isn't all that surprising. Why? Because we all know that big-time programs have been illegally paying elite recruits for decades, or in other words, cheating. How many wins has Ohio State had to vacate? How about Alabama? USC? Yet folks from those fanbases now suddenly want to claim some moral high ground?

Good luck with that.

So, let's set the record straight when it comes to Michigan and the media-manufactured sign-stealing saga: sign-stealing is not illegal in college football. It never has been. In fact, it's been a normal part of college football for decades. Connor Stalions absolutely took it too far during his time with the Wolverines, but acting like one low-level staffer at Michigan somehow committed the "crime of the century" is laughable.

Here's the truth SEC and Ohio State fans (and others) don't want to acknowledge: Their programs have been cutting corners and cheating forever, and everyone knows it. They built their dynasties on cheating, and now they want to cry about Michigan and sign-stealing? Spare us.

The pearl-clutching we've seen since the NCAA ruling has nothing to do with "protecting the game." It's about coping—coping with the reality that Michigan beat your teams on the field, flipped the rivalry, and won a national championship while you were busy making excuses. If the folks who are so outraged about the sign-stealing saga were truly interested in protecting the integrity of college football, they would have turned their anger toward their own beloved programs years ago.