SI confirms “Rivals” shared UM signals
Sports Illustrated just posted via Instagram “Two single-page documents listing detailed breakdowns of Michigan's deciphered signals were shared last season with a Big Ten school set to face the Wolverines, Si's @bypatforde and @ri_cfb report.”
I’m guessing the NCAA and B10 may decide to back off since this is just the tip of the iceberg as to the information UM has on everyone. I almost hope they press their luck so we can go scorched earth on them all. Defamation suits all around!
November 7th, 2023 at 6:25 AM ^
Funny how the article points out that sharing signs with other teams is not against the rules. Articles are still slanted.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:14 AM ^
Agree. That article was still slanted against Michigan. The media went all in on the Michigan hate train. They aren't jumping off any time soon.
November 7th, 2023 at 8:19 AM ^
Which is nonsense, because it's just as much against the rules as what CS did. I assume the coaches that shared the spreadsheet were at the game they played against Michigan...
November 7th, 2023 at 10:17 AM ^
Sure seems like in-person scouting via a third party proxy. Now where have I heard complaints about that before?
November 7th, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
And the headline uses the word “decoded” as opposed to “stealing”. Fucking media is such garbage.
November 7th, 2023 at 9:03 AM ^
Schools sharing signal information is not uncommon in college football, multiple sources in the coaching profession told SI, nor is it against NCAA rules.
Let's be clear, this story won't exonerate us from the rule we (allegedly) broke. What it will do however is make the punishment fit the crime.
The narrative going around is that we gained an insurmountable advantage and threatened the integrity and the very soul of the game. WORST SCANDAL EVER!!
Horseshit.
Big Ten opponents colluding against Michigan by giving professional curated scouting to Michigan's future opponents is far worse than Connor Stalions hiring rubes that leave at halftime because it's raining.
And we won those games anyway. So much for a 21 point advantage.
Give it up mob. This is a trivial offense in the world of college football. Let Michigan pay its parking ticket and move on.
November 7th, 2023 at 5:33 AM ^
shameless self-promoter.....
November 7th, 2023 at 1:35 AM ^
“Tony told Michigan this was the worst scandal in Big Ten history, not including game fixing,” one Big Ten administrator told SI.
Tony, Tony, Tony, pal, buddy... I don't know how to tell you this, but you need to quit while you're behind. We get it; you're in over your head here; you thought you were just supposed to negotiate TV contracts and collect a big paycheck.
This isn't even the worst scandal in Michigan history. And it pales compared to, say, Zach Smith, Urban Meyer, MSU tunnel assaults, Woody Hayes punching a player, Bobby Knight throwing chairs and choking players, Jerry Sandusky...
We're talking about signals? Signals?!
November 7th, 2023 at 1:41 AM ^
What a moron. How does a man in his position fall victim to a media driven narrative when he himself works in that business as well? He should be operating on logic, not sensationalism.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:53 AM ^
Im guessing he hitched his wagon to the "Michigan = BAD" horse and at this point feels he has to dig in his heels.
November 7th, 2023 at 1:41 AM ^
Word on the street is that next we're going to talk about practice.
November 7th, 2023 at 6:56 AM ^
ouch! too close to stretch-gate
November 7th, 2023 at 1:43 AM ^
"Not including game fixing"
So basically assigning die hard Ohio State slappies to referee "The Game" each year while also giving friendly winky winks and butt slaps to Ohio State players mid game.
Got it.
November 7th, 2023 at 1:53 AM ^
Call me crazy but I think a team's Defensive Coordinator raping children in the football locker room on a mass, organized scale ranks a bit higher than a rogue, glorified intern paying people for iPhone videos. Maybe I'm off base so I'll wait to hear what society as a whole thinks about my opinion. I just know that I'd rank "deciphering signals" (funny how quick the terms they use changed) a spot or two lower than the planned, mass oral and anal rape of children on team grounds.
Maybe Tony isn't caught up on the recent history of this conference. Maybe? That or he's a fucking moron with an agenda spouting specious, hyperbolic garbage that he knows is bullshit because he's a dumb coward.
"Decipherd signals", lmao. Maybe they should have started with that term.
November 7th, 2023 at 2:06 AM ^
Yeah it's not even the worst Michigan scandal of all time.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:10 AM ^
Yeah. I don't see this is repaired between B1G and UM. This is not the first time B1G tried to stick it to UM. I just don't think it is a good idea to continue with B1G conference even when this fizzles out eventually. B1G will just wait for the next one and pounce on it.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:40 AM ^
Michigan needs to announce they are exploring other options and arrange for meetings with other conferences. Then tell the B1G to go pound sand.
November 7th, 2023 at 8:06 AM ^
Repeat what I said before. Retort ought to be, "if you really feel that way, you probably don't want Michigan in your conference. Just let us out of the contract and we'll leave."
November 7th, 2023 at 11:06 AM ^
Maybe he said worst scandal in his history as Big Ten commissioner and the Big Ten admin misheard him
November 7th, 2023 at 1:46 AM ^
Wait so rivals decode, and Michigan steals? Thanks, SI
November 7th, 2023 at 1:48 AM ^
Yeah this article isn't really something we should be celebrating. It's just more negative spin on Michigan - albeit in a different tone.
November 7th, 2023 at 1:56 AM ^
“Schools sharing signal information is not uncommon in college football, multiple sources in the coaching profession told SI, nor is it against NCAA rules. “Every week you call your friends on other staffs and say, ‘Hey, what you got [on our next opponent]?’ ” A current coach with Big Ten experience said. “Everyone does it. Who cares?””
I don’t know, that seems much more positive than anything that’s been out there before tonight.
November 7th, 2023 at 1:58 AM ^
I thought knowing your opponents signals was this huge competitive advantage that gets players hurt… now we’re hearing that everyone does it and it’s no big deal? #confused
November 7th, 2023 at 6:44 AM ^
That's the key take away here. This story isn't absolving us of anything necessarily, but it completely blows away all the excuses other teams have been giving.
If sign stealing made a difference we wouldn't be 23-1 in conference play during our last 3 seasons. We also don't have any injuries as a direct result of someone having our signs.
November 7th, 2023 at 8:14 AM ^
Blake Corum and his injured knee would like to have a word with you.
November 7th, 2023 at 9:07 AM ^
Except the coaches sharing the signal information are third parties to the coaches receiving the signal information.
Just like the guys sending video to CS. This is highly parallel - the only difference would be ostensibly financial transactions or maybe a contract. But there's nothing in the NCAA rules prohibiting those to obtain this kind of information, so...
November 7th, 2023 at 9:12 AM ^
They can't have it both ways.
Is it letter of the law? Or is it the spirit of "sportsmanship"?
If it's the letter of the law, Connor Stalions did not provably attend games in person. Michigan is not guilty of anything.
If it is the spirit of "sportsmanship", then Big Ten opponents colluding against Michigan by giving professional curated scouting to Michigan's future opponents is far worse than Connor Stalions hiring rubes that leave at halftime because it's raining.
Which is it?
The correct answer is to drop this nonsense and false outrage, have Michigan pay its parking ticket, and shut up and take your beating.
November 7th, 2023 at 2:06 AM ^
That is SI selling their narrative that the information that Michigan has against other teams is well within NCAA rules.
At least that's how I took it.
Edit: also, I can't believe it's 2023 and I have to post an edit mentioning that this reply is in response to BuckeyeKiller. This board is hard on the eyes.
November 7th, 2023 at 2:13 AM ^
Don’t worry. I’ve got a few pictures and gifs/videos that would be great to post…but I can’t figure out a way to do that on mobile. I’ve tried, and I even googled how to do it, but I’ve got nothin’. Let’s see if this works: Nope.
November 7th, 2023 at 9:02 AM ^
It took me a second but I had to save the gif to my computer then click the "insert image" icon. Clicked upload, uploaded the gif and boom, a gif.
November 7th, 2023 at 10:42 AM ^
I truly do appreciate the explanation, but I’m exclusively using an iPhone to post. Let’s see if this works:
edit: I’m in the game boys!
November 7th, 2023 at 5:01 AM ^
A current coach with Big Ten experience said. “Everyone does it. Who cares?””
To quote that great Buckeye philosopher...
Everyone kills people, murders people, steals from you, steals from me.
November 7th, 2023 at 9:14 AM ^
Ah yes, that ole' Ohio State virtue. Good thing they're looking out for the integrity of the Big Ten.
November 7th, 2023 at 6:38 AM ^
Real strange how a lay person off the street recording a sideline is considered an in-person scout (sans CMU game), but football staffer actively decoding signals in real-time during the same contest and then handing it to a future opponent is not.
November 7th, 2023 at 8:13 AM ^
Yup, the narrative of the last 2 weeks just blew up yesterday, and lots of non-UM fans haven't realized it yet. Everybody accused us of "in-person scouting" because of people in the stands. But Michigan just said how's that any different than our opponents crowd sourcing the results of their in-person scouting?
If the B1G was willing to suspend Harbaugh for what we did, he's also gonna have to suspend like half the conference lol
November 7th, 2023 at 9:17 AM ^
The rule is a stupid trivial administrative rule (created to cut costs, not prevent competitive advantage).
It's worth a parking ticket. That's it.
November 7th, 2023 at 7:26 AM ^
This is such a ridiculous take. Passing around detailed spreadsheets is a little more than "hey, any tips for next week?"
November 7th, 2023 at 1:57 AM ^
We’ve also moved on from “illegal sign stealing” being the issue to “advance scouting” being the issue. It was only a matter of time really
November 7th, 2023 at 8:12 AM ^
Okay, but calling another coach that played Michigan and asking what they saw in person is using in person advanced scouting.
November 7th, 2023 at 2:02 AM ^
This is the part worth focusing on, because it basically is what we’ve been screaming about since this started. You can’t call it the “worst scandal in Big Ten History” that provides 21 point difference - but also, say that everyone shares each others signs so really it’s not a big deal. The method may have been illegal, but it didn’t distill a huge competition advantage and didn’t really get M anything that wasn’t being shared about THEM by multiple big ten members
Michigan is also likely to argue that there is a distinction without a true difference between what Stalions is accused of doing and what other Big Ten schools did in forwarding their scouting to a future opponent. In the process of making that argument, Michigan seems ready and willing to throw blame around the rest of the conference, potentially escalating this into a bitter battle on many fronts. Michigan will also likely point to a lack of due process involved with suspending Harbaugh before an NCAA investigation wraps up.
November 7th, 2023 at 5:49 AM ^
"Potentially escalating." Buddy, YOU escalated this when you decided to go full lynch mob. YOU were the ones who started talking about post season bans before due process was completed. YOU were the ones spoon-feeding the likes of Thamel.
We didn't escalate shit. We just started responding in-kind. If you don't like how it feels, I'm sorry that you lack the cognitive or emotional ability to, as the kids say, take what you dish out.
November 7th, 2023 at 9:16 AM ^
Exactly. We sat there for two weeks and said nothing.
November 7th, 2023 at 6:48 AM ^
Just having the potential dirt on other members out there should be enough for the Big Ten to settle on this, but Pettiti honestly seems so in over his head here that I kind of expect him to escalate even further. This dude's not gonna last a year
November 7th, 2023 at 6:55 AM ^
Thanks for noticing. I thought the tone of the piece suggested near-reluctance on SI's part. As in, "OK, I guess we have to look somewhat fair here."
November 7th, 2023 at 1:52 AM ^
osu stans stretching for their mental gymnastics
November 7th, 2023 at 8:09 AM ^
It’s actually wild how other fans are currently doing exactly what they made fun of Michigan fans for doing the past few weeks. Oh, so you claim that what you were doing wasn’t illegal and barely gave you an advantage? Weird, I think we have no choice but to just repeat that you’re a cheater!
November 7th, 2023 at 1:57 AM ^
This saga is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. All the nonsense could be avoided with a headset.
Where are the adults in the room?