Warde Manuel was quick to dismiss the idea that Michigan’s 2023 national championship deserves an “asterisk” because of its well-documented sign-stealing scandal.

The Michigan athletic director was asked after the game about the notion that Michigan’s national championship would have an asterisk due to the scandal that marred the program throughout the 2023 season.

“Hell nah. Why? I don’t know why. They proved it on the field,” Manuel told Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger. “Why would somebody wanna say now that there’s some asterisk? Ridiculous. This team has proven they’re a champion. Period. End of story.”

Michigan’s sign-stealing investigation was centered around former analyst Connor Stalions, who departed the program mid-season after the Big Ten opened an investigation into the scandal. Coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the final 3 games of the regular season as a result of the investigation.

Stalions, who had not made any public comments since he resigned back in the fall, broke his silence on social media after Michigan’s victory became official.

This win over Washington marks Michigan’s first national championship since 1997.