NCAA confirms Connor Stalions attended CMU game in disguise
By Derek Hryn
Published:
The NCAA has officially confirmed one of the most bizarre chapters in the Michigan sign-stealing scandal.
In its public infractions decision released on Friday, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions confirmed that former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was the man spotted on the Central Michigan sideline during the Chippewas’ Sept. 1, 2023, season opener at Michigan State.
Stalions was clad in CMU gear and sunglasses equipped with what appeared to be recording lenses. The incident — long suspected but never formally confirmed — became one of the most viral moments of the sign-stealing saga.
The NCAA noted that Central Michigan fully cooperated in its investigation, and that there was no indication the Chippewas’ staff knew who Stalions really was that day. Then-CMU head coach Jim McElwain said at the time the program was “totally unaware” of how Stalions got access to the sideline.
And now that it’s official, the wild, two-year saga that played out while Jim Harbaugh was leading Michigan on a national championship run is finally over.
The former Michigan football analyst, who resigned in November 2023, was handed an 8-year show-cause order on Friday, effectively banning him from any athletically related activities during the show-cause period.
That said, the ultimate impact this is all going to leave on the program, as well as the university, and their competitive future, remains to be seen.
