The first Conner Stalions lackey to speak
--"a couple hundred dollars" and a ticket to a Michigan home game
--former Division 3 football player and coach
--uploaded the videos he took on his personal cell phone to a shared iPhone photo album
--was wary of Stalions' plan "to a degree" when he was first approached... but felt that if someone from Michigan's staff was asking him to do this that it must fall safely in the gray area of rules.
--"I just felt like if you're not doing it, you're not trying to get ahead."
FULL ARTICLE: https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/38758564/ex-d-iii-coach-says-u-m-staffer-hired-record-future-big-10-foes
October 27th, 2023 at 8:52 PM ^
It won’t be then. Nobody watches that bullshit and people will be focused on games. It will be Monday after lunch.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:40 PM ^
Right before Harbaugh’s press conference, so he’ll have no time to prepare for questions.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:56 PM ^
How great would it be for Desmond to Call out Thamel on his BS
October 28th, 2023 at 9:04 AM ^
half time of the closer than it should be game between Ohio state and Wisconsin
October 27th, 2023 at 8:35 PM ^
Yawwwwwwn
October 27th, 2023 at 8:35 PM ^
What's his name? Oh, they're hiding behind anonymity?
Then I don't believe you.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:00 PM ^
Thamel's imaginary source in his wet dream.
He's such a fucking clown.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:41 PM ^
Given how crazy CFB fans are I would recommend anyone involved in this not publicly say so. Those people did nothing wrong and don't deserve the very likely mass negativity, let alone threats or harassment
October 27th, 2023 at 8:35 PM ^
ESPN contacted several other individuals this week whose names were connected to ticket purchases made by Stalions. One woman based in Jacksonville said she was friends with Stalions from their time together in the military but hung up abruptly when asked about attending last year's Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:41 PM ^
Michigan boosters are paying hush money to the vast network. Tune into College Game Day for the full story. /s
October 27th, 2023 at 8:37 PM ^
ESPN’s coverage on this story is running out of juice, like Ryan Day in the 2nd Half vs Michigan.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:38 PM ^
Which half was that, because he's only had one bad one.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:46 PM ^
It was really just like…. one play.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:53 PM ^
That was run 5 or 5 times
October 27th, 2023 at 8:59 PM ^
This is why I don't feel bad about the Lions beatdown this last weekend. It was only like 5 bad plays. Oh, and a field goal.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:50 PM ^
Which half was that, because he's only had one bad one.
Missed opportunity for an Edwards style "which one?" (regarding the reporter question about "the big run")
October 27th, 2023 at 8:57 PM ^
I don’t totally get it, but I totally like it
October 27th, 2023 at 9:18 PM ^
I am going to print this on a shirt and wear it to the OSU game
October 27th, 2023 at 9:50 PM ^
Is that Coach Taylor in there?
October 27th, 2023 at 8:38 PM ^
Good to hear the payment was minimal. I'm assuming he gets a set of tickets or something for being on the staff and that's where the gifted ticket comes from (???). Either way, that all seems like small enough expenses to be paid by Stalions himself.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:44 PM ^
Even if the money wasn't from his parents - Brian's theory - didn't we learn he airbnbs his house? Couldn't he have savings from his time in the military? Credit cards? People go hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt for college degrees, I really don't think it's too crazy to think this guy has some credit card debt funding this if he thinks it's going to lead to a lucrative career.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:48 PM ^
If you have no kids and no loans $55,000 is a more than adequate amount of money. You aren’t driving a new Tesla but you can get by just fine and pay a few thousand bucks over 2 years.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:59 PM ^
Especially if you live in a Unibomber cabin in Montana, ummm I mean on an old sofa in an AirBnb
October 28th, 2023 at 8:42 AM ^
It wouldnt be hard to see how a guy writing a 600 page manifesto figured spending a ton of money now could be a good investment if it lands him six figure jobs later. Especially if his folks were helping out. Its honestly not a wrong assumption.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:31 PM ^
He's putting the tickets on his credit card so I'm guessing even if he didn't have a bunch of money, running up a credit card bill isn't unrealistic. What's the monthly payment on a credit card with about $5K balance? A few hundred bucks a month? I'm sure a single guy with no life reviewing video 16 hours a day can handle that on $55k.
October 27th, 2023 at 11:31 PM ^
Especially if the manifesto included him eventually becoming HC at Michigan. What's $15k in credit card debt when you'll be making $10MM/yr in no time.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:40 PM ^
More rogueness from the Unastealer.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:40 PM ^
This is just fascinating. I'm so desensitized that now I just tune out the morality police and get the facts. Thank you OSU PI team for making this the most newsworthy bye week in team history.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:41 PM ^
Unless someone on the main staff can be connected to this, the story is done.
At this point it's whether the NCAA and/or Big Ten decide down the road that this was what it was - a minor advantage gleaned by a staffer who exploited a grey area in the rule book that - I guess - he shouldn't have and Michigan gets probation...or that it's the reason Michigan won all those games and therefore those wins must be vacated.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:45 PM ^
I’m hoping stalions’ role on the staff was summed up as “gee you are really adept at figuring out the other teams signs. Keep up the great work and see if you can get better at it. Also don’t break any explicit rules. Now hop to it!”
if he does whatever he did from there, that’s on him. The end.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:47 PM ^
I believe their rule book declared it a minor competitive advantage when they considered removing the scouting rule in 2021.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:25 PM ^
The NCAA itself has acknowledged that sign-scouting affords "minimal competitive advantage."
So, the fair Michigan punishment should be to go back and dock us a field goal from the score of each of our games.
OK, dock us a touchdown just to be safe.
OK, dock us two touchdowns just to be safe.
OK, dock us three touchdowns just to be safe.
What's that you say? Still doesn't matter.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:44 PM ^
A COUPLE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!!
Rag Mag Pete is really reaching with this one.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:45 PM ^
I wish we could know either most teams do in person scouting or most teams don’t do in person scouting. Then I can better decide how I feel. If most teams don’t have some sort of in person scouting, I believe, other teams have a legit gripe.
OSU fans believe this is the only reason they lost to us. The fact that we scouted them for an entire season. My head is all over the place.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:55 PM ^
It shouldn’t be. Any concern I had went out with the fact that sign stealers of each team get together and trade.
That’s in person scouting of an opponent in the same season.
instead of it being connor’s friend it’s an actual university employee on the sideline.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:20 PM ^
If scouting in person provided that significant of an advantage, the rulebook would be more explicit about prohibiting it, and it would actually attach a serious penalty for any infractions. The fact that it doesn’t means that it’s probably does not provide a significant competitive difference.
October 27th, 2023 at 8:47 PM ^
Sorry if this has come up in other threads, but some thing(s) I've been wondering:
1. The players would have to know, right? Like, not just an inkling but know?
2. With today's landscape of coaches leaving and players transferring, wouldn't something like this be deemed even riskier? What would be stopping Cade from saying something to an Iowa reporter? Or Andrel Anthony at Oklahoma? I'm not saying coaches don't cheat out of fear of some angry transfers, but...
October 27th, 2023 at 8:53 PM ^
Every team has a “sign guy” - everyone knows who they are. The players and coaches likely didn’t know how he was figuring the signs out.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:04 PM ^
Why didn’t you just say this a week ago? Goodnight everyone!
October 27th, 2023 at 9:07 PM ^
Good point.
Honest question...do you think it was like Minter (and all coaches) thinking "Damn, you're good. Please don't tell me or anyone how you got this good."???
October 27th, 2023 at 9:32 PM ^
Taking this from what Sam Webb said on the radio, today or yesterday...days are running together for me.
In the Sports Illustrated article, there was a text from Stalions that said pre-Covid he stole signs from a TV copy and was able to help Gattis with it. So they already knew he had some talent for it.
At such point that he was hired, he had the keys to the kingdom inside Schembechler Hall as far as access to video for all the games, going back years, already cut up, plus the All-22s. So they would naturally think he'd be even better at that point.
I don't think any of us message board people can know how reasonable or unreasonable it was for them to not know.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:33 PM ^
Yes.
No.
He was good at his job, that is why he had his job. You can be good at a job without it automatically assumed you are cheating.
Sherrone Moore is really good at calling plays. Should it automatically be assumed that he is cheating?
October 27th, 2023 at 8:55 PM ^
1. No, absolutely not. The coaches didn't even know (we're hoping). But even if the coaches did know, I don't know how the players would know. Aidan Hutchinson said he didn't even know who Stalions was.
2. Obviously it wasn't foolproof. He certainly could have done better in that regard. But I still think he thought he found a legal way to do it.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:05 PM ^
I didn't phrase my original very well. I guess I meant the players had to know they had a guy who was exceptional at something sign-related.
There is no reason they should have known how he did it (if true, vast, whatever). But, that many guys on the sideline, some not getting any game action at all, had to notice Stalions, had to see him talking to coaches/charts/etc. and realize "damn, he's good"
October 27th, 2023 at 9:18 PM ^
Oh, I don't know. Maybe. But everyone has a sign guy, or should. That part wasn't a secret. And I doubt the players had a real frame of reference to know how good he was compared to the norm.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:27 PM ^
I’m guessing you never played. Everyone practices all week to prepare for game day. Even bench players. In game no player is looking around at assistants checking out what they are doing. Especially not at this level.
October 27th, 2023 at 9:37 PM ^
Correct, I never played. But I pitched in college. And I can tell you that I believe I would have noticed if we had a guy who went up to our coach, told him something, our coach moved our corner infielders in, and then the hitter bunted.
I get that the players are talking to their position coaches, watching the game, trying to learn or contribute in anyway, but I also can't fathom that many guys not noticing something.
Again, they may not have known the depths of what was going on (if these daily reports are true), but I would have to think at least some of them saw.