More bad news coming?

Submitted by Maison Bleue on October 24th, 2023 at 4:18 PM

Hold me Sopwith and tell me everything will be alright!

Prediction: Folks who have been really unhappy with me in my mentions the last couple of days are going to be really, really unhappy with me by dinner time.

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) October 24, 2023

Brhino

October 24th, 2023 at 6:55 PM ^

How does a private citizen determine who bought tickets to any given game?  I assume the NCAA can call up the Michigan State athletic department and ask them to run a search, but it seems like reporters/"reporters" are doing it as well. 

AWAS

October 24th, 2023 at 7:20 PM ^

Dude, quit with the cancel stuff.  Outrage is just juvenile intemperance.  In the real world, people with differing opinions are expected to coexist.  MGoBlog isn't Fox News, where only one point of view is enabled.  Just because you or I don't like Toby's point of view doesn't make it any less worthy of being expressed.  I will particularly note that Toby expresses most of his opinions in a well reasoned and respectful tone, unlike many of the responses to him (ad hominem attacks are so banal).  I don't agree with much of what Toby's take is here, but I will embrace this blog as an oasis in the cesspool of the interwebz, even though I get annoyed with certain posters who can only express a thought by the use of common epithets.

Hensons Mobile…

October 24th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^

In addition to the legal and not new information about in-person scouting for potential CFP teams, he also added another tweet later saying that the big laminated thing that Stalions had on the sideline for the game where OSU changed their signs, was indeed the (likely inaccurate) signals for OSU, which you are allowed to have created using legal means of scouting and then bring with you to the game.

But he's right, I'm more mad at him than I was before for being a bigger fuck hat than I already assumed he was.

bronxblue

October 24th, 2023 at 7:45 PM ^

Yeah, I saw that come across the ESPN app and I was surprised that hadn't already been announced regarding CFP opponents.  

Also, sure the laminated placard were the signs. Nobody is arguing about that.  I'm guessing if you looked at OSU's sideline they've got that written down as well.  It's how he got that info that matters, not that any OSU knob seems to grasp that.

tigerd

October 24th, 2023 at 7:25 PM ^

I know this is off topic but why is it ok to disparage just about anybody else in the world other than the NCAA dolt that would like to take down Harbaugh and the Michigan program? I don't get the selective protection of this guy. Why does anybody assume that somebody crazy would take out this guy any more than say all those disliked nuts associated with the OSU program, some of these writers, other coaches, etc.? I don't see anybody asking or taking down posts talking about this Connor Stallions. Somebody please explain how or why this guy is different.

CFraser

October 24th, 2023 at 7:32 PM ^

This is the stretching thing 2.0. Only this time it’s only brought up because you don’t have an answer. Michigan will wax your ass again and you can’t do shit about it. Sucks. We did 10 years of it. Welcome to the suck. Stop being a bitch. 

ColoradoBlue

October 24th, 2023 at 7:51 PM ^

Okay - just to level-set:

We are still in the same spot we were when the news hit the front page of MGoBlog, shortly after Sopwith casually dropped his bombshell post that has proved 100% accurate: 

A low-level football analyst charged with deciphering opponent signals, employed since May 2022, purchased tickets to the games of opponents (including possible opponents) and enlisted non-UM affiliated (and non-commercial) entities to record games.  It is assumed that he received these recordings and, along with TV broadcasts, All-22 footage, and anything else available on YouTube or social media, conducted analysis and extracted information (accurate or not) that he communicated to his bosses.

As of yet, there is NO direct evidence that:

A) he was directed to act by anyone else in the AD

B) that anyone else in the AD had reason to suspect that his intel was coming from "in person" scouting.

C) that expenses were paid by anyone other than Cpt Stalion

D) that anyone affiliated with UM attended any of these games in person

E) that the analysis provided by Cpt Stalion derived from the 3rd party recordings provided any real value beyond the intel derived from publicly available media

F) that any other illicit activity was being conducted by Cpt Stalion (i.e, wire-tapping, computer hacking)

 

UM has thus far cooperated with the investigation and turned over everything requested by the NCAA.  The NCAA has yet to provide any allegations to UM but has managed to leak a metric ton of info, as per the NCAA's SOP.

Did I miss anything?

Hensons Mobile…

October 24th, 2023 at 8:02 PM ^

I think that is all correct. But I will say Sopwith scooped MSM on the operation. So while we all believed (correctly) that we knew what happened, most of the country didn’t find out until whichever MSM story was first to report it. But since then it’s just been a lot of details that don’t really make a material difference. Like ESPN just had a story that it was actually 13 B1G schools instead of 12. Okay. That makes absolutely no difference at this point but thanks for the update I guess. 

Sopwith

October 24th, 2023 at 10:59 PM ^

If I'd known they were going to treat every separate ticket purchase like CNN BREAKING NEWS: MALAYSIAN PLANE STILL MISSING I would have just been clear in the original post that it pertained to all games B1G and small, noon or night, cupcake or prime rib, for at least '22 and '23 until two excellent seats with views of two mediocre teams were wasted at OSU-Penn St.

Eventually Utah St's ticket office will come around to checking their receipts from 2022 and ESPN will run a full page article. Apologies, I should have said spoiler alert. 

Harmon4Heisman

October 24th, 2023 at 11:48 PM ^

Utah State played Umich future opponent UConn at home in week 1 of 2022...shit. You gotta stop teasing us with these soft leaks. You're essentially the janitor on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository building and simultaneously a picnic goer on the grassy knoll. Curious as to your thoughts on these rumblings, murmurs, rumors whatever you want to call them that this whole thing likely can be traced back to OSU and Day's circle. And if there's any validity to that their own codebreaker guy Brent Zdbenski was doing the same thing and likely helped Day out Stalions. There were apparently ~things~ being said on OSU boards days before the story even broke, the whole "I've got a buddy whose cousin's friend replaces the lightbulbs in Day's house and he says something big is about to come out" sort of deal." And then there's Josh Henschke from the Maize and Blue review saying reporters are starting to sniff around claims of OSU wrongdoing. Of course, maybe it's all just deep web message board hearsay, but then again Sopwith was right and he's just some person on a message board......

crg

October 25th, 2023 at 8:09 AM ^

A few errors:

A low-level football analyst charged with deciphering opponent signals,

1)  No one is "charged" with anything yet.  The kid staffer (guy is what - 24? 25?) has been implicated by media (via leaks from opponent programs and ncaa), but the ncaa hasn't gotten anywhere near making allegations/charges yet (they'll come, but in months or longer).

2) More importantly, deciphering/breaking/stealing/etc. of signals is completely permissible and is not the problem for anyone but osu partisans and other anti-Michigan faction trying to raise some red herring about "integrity of the game"... ncaa does not prevent it which is *why* teams try to disguise their signals elaborately.  The actual "rule breaking" was have this scouting occur off campus and recording it electronically... both considered as minor (Level II) violations per ncaa regulations.

kyeblue

October 24th, 2023 at 8:17 PM ^

hypothetically, if random Michigan fans like us attend other big ten games and take video clips and upload them to youtube, can’t Michigan staff look at them or staff from other schools look at them too? 

Seth

October 24th, 2023 at 8:33 PM ^

I think we're waiting for Ohio State to tell reporters that Matt Weiss hacked into their practice cameras or something. Whatever it is I've stopped listening to them.

MIMark

October 24th, 2023 at 11:46 PM ^

There's one bit of bad news that could come that really would be bad. If there’s proof that Stalion was reimbursed by a coordinator or by Harbaugh himself. And that shoe could drop. A lower assistant buying tickets around the 45? Those are expensive tickets.

uofmchris2

October 25th, 2023 at 2:07 AM ^

Ladies and Gentleman.Boys and Girls...

We are fucked.

That's all I'm going to say for now.

I know how this board works and I'm ready for the negs. 

CFraser

October 25th, 2023 at 3:11 AM ^

Just a side note on the whole “sign stealing” notion: if you’re a top CFB program and you aren’t changing your signals on Monday at practice, you are kind of dumb. So you’ve spent decades in fb and don’t know the other team is likely doing some form of scouting? They all cover their mouths. That indicates there are people there, at every game, actively trying to steal signs. But yea, let’s make a whole investigation into this. Investigate everyone then. I’m so done with this. And they’re beating teams 50-0. Jesus