Yahoo: Partridge Tried Getting Rid of Evidence and Booster Partially Funded Stalions
The NCAA presented the University of Michigan with new evidence this week, including that a Michigan booster may have at least partially funded Connor Stalions’ advanced scouting operation and an assistant coach allegedly participated in the destruction of evidence on a computer after the scandal broke, industry sources tell Yahoo Sports.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
"Multiple sources say that Partridge is not alleged at this time of knowing about the advanced scouting by Stalions, but acted after the fact to cover up evidence. Sources tell Yahoo Sports that a booster — named in the NCAA report as "Uncle T" — helped fund the scheme, giving Stalions thousands of dollars for expenses."
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Uncle Tom?
November 17th, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
"I know a secret down at Uncle Tom's cabin, I know a secret that I just can't tell."
Who knew Warrant had more insider info on UM than anybody else huh.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
So much for the rich kid using the trust fund for expenses...
Also you don't just get up and delete shit for no reason. Obviously Partridge knew where the evidence was and it was damning enough he felt he needed to get rid of it. So... yeah.
I hate to say it but suddenly that 3 game suspension doesn't seem so bad.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Or he liked Stallions and was trying to help him cover stuff up. Too early to say
November 17th, 2023 at 12:31 PM ^
Too early to say? Hmm. Partridge got fired while Stalions, who was clearly at fault, got suspended during the interim investigation. I'm sure details will come out but I'm fine keeping those under wraps if it's just going to add to the drip.
I love this damn team, maybe more so than any of recent note, but this is one web I wish we'd stop weaving.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^
I don't think the suspension vs. immediate release means much. They already investigated and seemingly found Stalions at fault. So once Patridge was tied to him there wasn't a whole lot more investigating to do.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:35 PM ^
Also if we go back to earlier discussions on this, what Stalions did at best constitutes a gray area… there is no gray area to destroying evidence.
November 17th, 2023 at 2:23 PM ^
Tom VanHaaren's reporting is that Partridge was fired for not cooperating with the NCAA.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:09 PM ^
to be honest the idea that Stallions was a "trust fund" kid because his parents made a decent upper middle class salary after 30 years as public educators was always dumb and made our fans look incredibly stupid tbh
November 17th, 2023 at 1:16 PM ^
We've been looking really stupid the last few weeks trying to wish this away.
November 17th, 2023 at 3:10 PM ^
I don’t even know but it was the narrative being pushed on the front page and it seemed to align with his priorities.
The “no receipts” thing was an obvious red herring as Stalions’ Daddy Warbux was likely the keeper of finances for the operation.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:19 PM ^
Who said the booster isn't a relative of Stalions? Maybe "Uncle T" is an actual uncle.
Stalions used family money and Stalions received money from a booster can both refer to the same source of $ and therefore both be true.
November 17th, 2023 at 3:01 PM ^
I hate to say it but suddenly that 3 game suspension doesn't seem so bad.
I worry that's just the start. Sadly, the NCAA is just looking for more reasons to turn pearl clutching into thermonuclear warfare and this is another piece that gives them reason to escalate.
November 17th, 2023 at 7:04 PM ^
Sigh, once you got a shady booster with a tie to a coach on something stupid like this, it’s certainly not impossible there were other stupid shenanigans going down. If we get caught illegally funneling money to players in the NIL era where everything could be easily handled legitimately, we truly will deserve to get hammered for being idiots.
November 17th, 2023 at 3:03 PM ^
Call me an asshole, but it's beginning to sound a bit like compliance was paid lip service but not a lot more than that.
I will leave additional assumptions to everyone else..
November 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Thousands!!
November 17th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
The legend of Uncle Thousands has been born.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:45 PM ^
The booster is not smart. If he would have given money to recruits like OSU and SEC, we would be in the clear.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:05 PM ^
This is so true! If Stalions and the booster had paid recruits or "tampered" with members of other teams to get them to transfer to Michigan, we'd have gotten a big fine a few years from now. WTF was that donor thinking? Stalions must have snowed him utterly and completely.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:06 PM ^
So on brand that M boosters are smart people doing dumb things. SEC, Ohio State etc have been skirting the law for years, blatantly, but Michigan can't even do that right. Fab 5 was a rogue booster too.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:44 PM ^
If the would have just paid someone to record the signs and post them on youtube then he would have been really smart.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:49 PM ^
So not everyone knows that the coverup is worse than the crime.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:04 PM ^
I really don’t get the NCAA using “Uncle T” to identify the booster. I’m guessing they were told by lawyers they can’t include the guy’s full name in the report, but where in the world does “Uncle T” come from? Unless he’s CS’s uncle or something, it would be the most random way to identify someone.
November 17th, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
Twitter is claiming it's Tim Smith, a board member of the NIL group Champions Circle.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
Ahh, fuck.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:20 PM ^
Previous post and this SEEM to be in conflict...? Maybe both could have occurred? But this is getting weirder by the minute and I don't think I'm exaggerating.
Hold me Tom VH...
November 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
ESPN already updated their article to change the language. Of course, they don't include an acknowledgement that the story has changed because that would require journalistic integrity.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
You wont often see media and integrity collide in the same sentence...
November 17th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
Jeez. Figure out who that booster is and drop the lifetime banhammer on access to the University in any way shape or form.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:29 PM ^
100%. Same as Stallions. These morons had delusions of granduer and are screwing the program for their stupidity. Lifetime bans for both of them
November 17th, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
I'm sure they know who it is. Someone in another thread alluded to more bad stuff coming and he got this from a very well connected big donor. I'm sure all those big donors talk amongst themselves and know at least the basics of what's going on, especially if one of their own is involved.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
Lmao. This is gold. Conflicting reports on mgoblog at the same time. Can’t make up this insanity! All there left to do is shrug and laugh.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
this too shall pass. just keep winning!
November 17th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
Good for Partridge. I hope he succeeded.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:22 PM ^
Can’t our boosters just hire PI firms like a normal fucking school?
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
jfc this is never going to end
November 17th, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Its a coordinated attack to make sure we are in full chaos by the OSU game. It isn't going to end for a long time. The drip drip drip is to cause maximum PR damage and even if we beat OSU, it will continue. I would bet that when we beat OSU it will get even worse and people will be calling for us to be banned from b1g champ game and playoffs based on how the last month has gone. It will continue into the off season as well.
November 17th, 2023 at 2:34 PM ^
Are you saying you think OSU and the B1G knew a booster was funding this, but withheld that info until it was necessary?
November 17th, 2023 at 5:38 PM ^
Without a doubt. Stephen A and Pete Finebaum have been laying the groundwork for this the past two weeks.
I can see Boo Radley from the CFP capitulating with political cover from Tony Tiny Dick the week after Sherrone Moore whoops Eddie Munster.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
That's a brutal own-goal. Partridge is a great coach, and it sucks to lose him. That said, it's completely unacceptable to delete evidence during an investigation. What a shame.
(Yes, I remember that the Zach Smith investigation included a finding that Meyer asked how to delete texts once the story broke and all his texts were deleted - as I said, it's completely unacceptable.)
November 17th, 2023 at 5:41 PM ^
How this entire crock of shit started and the unprecedented response by the NCAA and Big Ten is unacceptable.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
The Friday news dump is harshing my mellow RN
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Hope Tom VH doesn't have egg on his face here. . .
EDIT: The most innocuous and tentative remarks really drawing the rabble tonight! That American specialty, the lynch mob! Maybe this is the Res College difference, rather thant the Michigan one. We were taught that thinking with your noose was not okay. :) Been a lot of bad thinking in evidence here lately!
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
For god sake. I hate that everybody piled on Michigan and turned a molehill into a mountain, but we seriously need to tighten up staff oversight. Come on now.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
I always got the sense Partridge was always a bit of a risk/reward hire and played more by SEC rules when it comes to stuff like this. Even when he was here the first go around, he sort of had “that energy”, if you catch my drift.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
You don't think this type of stuff happens in everyday jobs and in sports from assistants. Yes Chris did wrong but he might have been thinking that Stallions knew he messed up and thought maybe he would help him. I honestly don't know but I do know it sucks cause CP was great coach and recruiter and is going to be missed all because of a bonehead move. But it still remains how all this information has been dropped in very precise and times when it will hurt us the most. Someone who wants us to look terrible is dropping information as every piece of new information seems to be at the worst times. It is all leading up to the biggest game of the year. I still think OSU has something to do with this and hiring someone to dig up all the dirt they can. I sti think this thing is much to do about nothing and why Connor did it I the first place was to make him look better to the staff and hopefully climb his way up to a real asst coach position. One guy trying to make himself look better has beought all this BS on us. But also if other teams scout us the week before and give it to the team we are playing the next week IMO is still way worse then a rogue little staffer trying to get ahead in his career.
November 17th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
Feels like I'm channeling my inner Vince Lombardi:
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE???!???1
November 17th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
Welp, I guess it's a 3 martini lunch day for me.