Per ESPN, UM has retained Williams & Connolly
Surprised this hasn't been linked yet on the forum. ESPN is reporting that UM has retained Williams & Connolly for the litigation against the B1G. As any of the Mgolawyers will tell you, you can infer the following from that:
(1) W&C is a big and expensive gun, UM is not kidding around about a nasty legal fight
(2) UM's own investigation probably concluded they have colorable legal arguments: W&C doesn't take on dead-loser cases and nor would you use them if you were going to be throwing hail marys
(3) this is likely (but not certain) to be fought in federal court.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
Here it is.
Here is Williams and Connolly's page on their sports law practice - they make it sound pretty good.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
The commissioner should just get on a conference call with the Presidents, AD and HC and just chew into everyone .. They have played him like a instrument all because OSU was no longer the top football school..
November 8th, 2023 at 1:32 PM ^
Username checks out!😄
November 8th, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
Michigan just put the Big Ten on notice that they are willing to spend millions defending this as long and far as it goes. I have no doubt donors will step forward if necessary to help out. Money Cannon vs. Big Ten. Getting the popcorn ready.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:30 AM ^
I was hoping for these guys, but ok:
November 8th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
i am no longer at that firm. i sure wish they'd take my picture off of the website....
November 8th, 2023 at 10:37 AM ^
I think you captured / shared a pic of a few ADs that are complaining - or, maybe they are the three known colluders who shared / accepted Michigan’s signs before the 2022 B1G CCG.
Then again, it may be those giving advice and counsel to the B1G leadership.
It’s hard to tell the difference.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^
I've read good things about Dunning, Spongit & Leach.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:30 AM ^
I no longer read, visit, or patronize ESPN, so thank you for summarizing.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
wayyyyy too much tone..... most of the mass should be swinging below the humerus.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:30 AM ^
Hello Williams
Hello Connolly
Hearing great pad level and explosiveness for Williams
Connolly is a playmaker, elite quickness and speed and can play multiple skill positions.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:32 AM ^
They definitely have some lawyers that would qualify as "Dangermen" and would have very few cyans.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:57 AM ^
THAT would make a great chart.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:33 AM ^
Michigan has a top notch law school and tons of great lawyers around the Midwest and country on speed dial. The Ohio State, Rutgers, Purdue thing was a warning shot. Now, you are going to start hearing unsavory details about Urban Meyer and Ryan Day that will make signgate look like child's play imo. Drip drip drip
November 8th, 2023 at 11:08 AM ^
I certainly hope so and look forward to it.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
Well since they thought it ok to try and destroy 100+ years of reputation I'd say all bets are off and storm the Bastille.
November 8th, 2023 at 4:12 PM ^
I understand that any symptoms involving "drip, drip, drip" should be referred to a urologist (or, a proctologist in OSU's case: "prepare thy defecatory orifice")
November 8th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
^^^+1^^^
Thank you for not starting another thread but of course someone will...
*sigh*
November 8th, 2023 at 10:38 AM ^
Fuck around and find out
November 8th, 2023 at 10:40 AM ^
"There's not a lot of precedent for a conference stepping up to discipline a coach or a team before there's been an investigation by the NCAA," said Gabe Feldman, director of the Tulane Sports Law program and one of the nation's leading experts on college sports legal issues. "It's just a question of relatively new leadership in the Big Ten, new members coming into the Big Ten and some uncertainty as to the severity of the offense, whether the conference wants to set a precedent."
Feldman thinks Michigan would have an uphill battle in court. Injunctions and temporary restraining orders aren't handed out very often, and courts generally don't want to interfere in the ability of a governing body -- in this case, the Big Ten -- to discipline its own members.
According to Feldman, Michigan would have to establish that a suspension for Harbaugh would cause "irreparable harm" if the injunction or temporary restraining order isn't granted. Given the proximity to the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff, Michigan might have an easier time convincing a judge of Harbaugh's value on the sideline.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^
I'll take Feldman's legal opinion just like I take relationship advice from my accountant.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:15 AM ^
Gabe Feldman is the director of the Tulane Sports Law program and one of the nation's leading experts on college sports legal issues. I don't know why you wouldn't take his advice on legal issues. Were you thinking Bruce Feldman?
November 8th, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
Irreparable harm seems like a slam dunk in this case. Likelihood of success on the merits is likely the bigger hurdle. Not insurmountable but more difficult and may depend on what judge ultimately gets assigned.
November 8th, 2023 at 1:49 PM ^
Agree.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
I hope they also dig into the Big 10 contract and find the outs..and those are brought up if the Big 10 is going to be way.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
Can UM through the legal process or simply as an accused member force the NCAA to divulge the outside entity accuser and whether information was lawfully obtained?
Then other...ahem...investigations can more thoroughly proceed to understand who might initiate said investigation and for what possibly beneficial reason.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:17 AM ^
I think they already know the entity and I'm guessing that'll drop soon. A name was rumored here last night and it jives with other rumors, even those coming from the OSU camp.
It may just be an intermediary (the NCAA knows who provided them information but they wouldn't know how they got it), but it's juicy enough on its own.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
Yes, I read that and like the location. Coincidence?
November 8th, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
I think that connection goes back to high school.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:35 PM ^
And if that turns out to be true I think it's worth recalling this. It's from the OSU-connected guy Brian quoted a while back who claimed to know who the PI was. I haven't taken time to look into the firm since we got a name but I'm assuming he knew what he was talking about.
It is a PI that has done work with NFL, SEC and other programs outside of the Big Ten
Think about that a minute. This looks to be a person who's a major national player in the investigation of possible NCAA violations...and he's an old high school friend of the Days?
November 8th, 2023 at 2:33 PM ^
Be a shame if Cryan loses twice this year to Jim. Once on the field and devastatingly also in the court of public opinion humiliation. I really hope for the poor man's sanity and clutch purse that isn't so!
November 8th, 2023 at 10:39 AM ^
I know nothing about legal forms but I'm excited we're prepared to fight...LFG
November 8th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
I think this quote from Gabe Feldman is a fair summary of the other coaches' case, but it also shows how crazy it is.
"We know the NCAA will act slowly," Feldman said. "They may not act in time for there to be a meaningful discipline for the parties that are involved. The idea is it gave them an unfair competitive advantage this year, so you're allowing a team that cheated to maintain that advantage. Should the Big Ten have to wait for a process they know won't play out quickly enough?"
Ok, I agree that Stalions is guilty of NCAA rule violations and there should be some punishment, unless ErikInDayton's analysis wins out, but what unfair competitive advantage did UM have this year?
Even if Stalions' signs analysis accounted for 3 touchdowns a game this year, we'd still be 9-0, and after suspending him, that means we are playing MSU, Purdue, PSU, MD, and OSU without even the legal portion of our signs program, while they get to play us with their signs programs fully intact (and in at least some cases, with the advantage of scouting other games through sign collusion!) How is that possibly a relevant competitive advantage?
November 8th, 2023 at 10:52 AM ^
The ‘unfair competitive advantage’ is absolute BS and these schools know. Theyre just opportunists trying to damage Michigan while theyve got a chance. Seriously.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
And they have been colluding and sharing advance in person scouting for more than a year dating back to proceeding the Game where they admitted to using different sign to thwart us and kept their to benefit them in an apparently very "fair"manner.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
In addition to the competitive advantage being trivial (if it exists at all), it disappeared when this stuff was made public before the MSU game. BUT given existing reporting, it sounds like teams were 1) already aware and 2) already countering with limited effect.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
This has to stop.
They were not countering. They've been at this since before Stalions was even hired, and long before there was a vast network.
November 8th, 2023 at 12:06 PM ^
I think Blinkin means that the other teams knew that UM had a good sign analysis program and they changed their signs to counter, even before they learned about the vast network.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:43 AM ^
I'm disappointed only because I wanted it to be us. I spend a lot of my time in injunction fights. But this is a very good choice.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
Well, at least you can keep commenting here!
November 8th, 2023 at 10:48 AM ^
Sorry but the firm of Goldilocks, Bear, Bear and Bear wasn't chosen. Hopefully mamaBear and babyBear don't take it too hard.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:12 AM ^
Looks like another winter of cold porridge ...
(Actually, when I told MamaBear that Michigan was gearing up for the legal fight and how badly I wanted in, her response was "how in the world would you have the time." Which is true. But thsi would be so fun.)
November 8th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^
The MGoWives…so wise. I told mine the line about “the billable hours are the real winners here,” and she called that the truest statement.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
All W&C cares about is whether its bills get paid and the University of Michigan is a dependable bill payer.
In terms of the legalities, it's a very rare situation where Michigan will move for a TRO and then preliminary injunction needing to show the likelihood of irreparable harm, but then the counterparty can itself show irreparable harm giving the fact that the sign-stealing is providing an immediate current benefit.
Not the typical posture.
November 8th, 2023 at 10:48 AM ^
Law firms don't want to take high profile losers if they can avoid it. them working with Michigan and losing is not a good look for there reputation.
November 8th, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
But can the counterparty actually show irreparable harm if Michigan has evidence of collusion and selective enforcement?
November 8th, 2023 at 11:06 AM ^
disagree on that last part re: counterparty. all of them are alerted and all of them have easily implemented ways to completely avoid the issue - of course that's assuming it would still be going on which itself is silly to think.