Signgate update from Hole
https://youtu.be/hn5hGU_SfFk?si=fdugMw8QZAGc0xAJ
Not much new information. Mostly reaction. Big Ten ADs getting their very delicate lace panties in a wad and pushing the BigTen to act was unexpected. The weird pedo lower level staffer non-story (reported by former OSU's best, moral compass and authority on all that is holy, Zack Smith, the coach who pushed his pregnant wife down the stairs and sent her death threats) was one of the two remaining bad news items to drop. The alliance of never sanctimonious and holier than you schools who have never stolen signs are very peeved that the sanctity of their moral code has been violated. Very peeved! They're worried about the children. Hole is fired up (which means his voice almost noticeably raised) because he knows "the truth that will set Michigan free". He expects Petitty to learn this truth from Santa tomorrow which will force him to take a step back and reconsider. This will cause the wad girth of the aforementioned panties to increase in size substantially. Hole mentioned again that the goal of this orchestrated hit job is to prevent Harbaugh from ever coaching on the Mich sidelines again. He said that if he coaches Saturday that it's more likely that he's allowed to coach of the rest of the season. He remains cryptic about his source and what this "truth" is that will set us free.
DISCUSS.
November 3rd, 2023 at 2:34 AM ^
Internet chatter? Offer a credible source or it's just shit.
Petitti is no dummy. He's a Harvard Law grad and is aware of the potential ramification of acting foolishly by prematurely handing out penalties without facts. Can you imagine a situation where he unilaterally dishes out severe penalties to Michigan, gets into an embarrassing legal battle, and we went to court and got an injunction that allowed us to play out the season as business as usual? That screams short tenure as the commish and he ain't putting his neck on the line.
November 3rd, 2023 at 5:56 AM ^
Especially when he can do what all savvy managers do when faced with an unpleasant situation: defer to "process" to buy time and CYA. He has every right and every personal incentive to let the NCAA investigation play out. It keeps him from making a potentially disastrous mistake now, and doesn't take the option of punishment off the table down the road.
November 3rd, 2023 at 8:48 AM ^
And we all know that Harvard Law grads never do anything stupid.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:21 AM ^
Yes, I always laugh at the absurdity of claiming any Harvard grad from any part of the university has a deeper understanding of anything than say a grad from from Wayne State. How that nonsense gets perpetuated is beyond me. Anyway, just look to Congress and SCOTUS if you want to see that a Harvard law degree doesn't mean any sort of greater understanding of the law let alone the Constitution.
November 3rd, 2023 at 12:42 PM ^
But on Suits, they only hire from Harvard. So Harvard must be the best.
November 3rd, 2023 at 9:15 AM ^
Just want to point out that Ted Cruz is a Princeton & Yale grad and is in fact a complete dummy.
November 3rd, 2023 at 9:53 AM ^
Is Walter Sobchak the only one around here who cares about the rules?!
November 3rd, 2023 at 4:38 PM ^
While you may disagree with his political beliefs, as you are entitled,, the man is brilliant.
November 3rd, 2023 at 11:32 AM ^
Suspending Harbaugh for a few games is within his power and something Michigan agreed to. There wouldn't really be a lawsuit for Michigan to win if the penalty is just for Harbaugh
November 3rd, 2023 at 12:27 PM ^
Suspending Harbaugh for a few games is within his power and something Michigan agreed to.
Inaccurate. Michigan hasn't agreed to this nor should they. Suspending Harbaugh (without any evidence of his involvement) because of the mounting pressure from other Big Ten members would be irrational and reckless. There hasn't even been a notice of allegations from the NCAA.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:28 AM ^
I posted this in another thread, but here you go:
Sam just posted a few minutes ago on TMI a topic titled "Expect Michigan to push back HARD on any talk of suspending Jim Harbaugh."
I'm not a subscriber so I can't read it, but title seems to say a lot.
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:37 AM ^
He will be coaching, they will get turbo sued if the big ten does anything, not just by michigan but tv networks.
It's probably just a formality since we've been told Harbaugh hung up after business talk was over and all the coaches stayed on the zoom to talk shit.
November 3rd, 2023 at 8:12 AM ^
I don’t think any TV network is suing because Jim Harbaugh isn’t coaching. But the issue is, what would they be suspending him for? And what has he demonstrably done that is different from our assistant coaches? There is no evidence that any of them did anything or knew anything. Any suspension would be for the reason that “other teams really don’t want him to coach.” What are they going to do, suspend the whole staff because they are “big mad?”
And Ono really can’t agree to anything to just “put this to bed,” because the NCAA is going to do what they are going to do regardless of whether the BIG does something before or not.
It was a big mistake for the BIG to even entertain this chatter. They should have taken the same stance as the CFP. There are going to be meetings and calls now for the rest of the season demanding Harbaugh be suspended.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
Petiti has already made two moves that should leave him suspect for Michigan going forward: letting so much antagonistic scuttlebutt see the light of day, and then not getting out in front of it, insisting that the process take its course. Some likelihood he has a large problem on his hands now should either side balk at the course of action determined.
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:50 AM ^
Yes...quite a bit. I think the thought is they were not going to call off the msu game because it was like 48 hours notice but with two weeks to evaluate this there were many that agreed this game is pivotal. Even all the insiders agreed, if you see harbaugh on the sidelines against purdue, it's a big deal.
Take that for whatever it's worth but it did seem to me like even all the insiders had their panties in a bunch about what could or would happen over these two weeks since msu.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:00 AM ^
Two observations:
1. I have a hard time believing Harbaugh would be fully aware of a system that relied on numerous unvetted and mildly compensated volunteers to execute a scheme that, if it was ever discovered, could cause a major problem. If you’re trying to get away with something, the circle needs to be tight. I don’t think he’s that dumb;
2. Ryan Day is quite a little bitch;
November 3rd, 2023 at 2:18 AM ^
If there's even a remote possibility that the B1G would levy any sort of punishment on Michigan before NCAA due process transpires - why not just leak the information that would exonerate or shed light on the situation? If anything, to at least combat all of the negativity generated by the media.
Isaiah is saying he has info the media doesn't. Surely, somebody inside Schembechler Hall realizes this info could sway the court of public opinion to a more favorable tone than what we have seen today.
November 3rd, 2023 at 2:39 AM ^
Yeah, this is why I’m a bit skeptical of what Hole is putting down. Lots of hedging in that podcast.
at this point, if M has a smoking gun then it’s negligent that they’re NOT releasing it …
November 3rd, 2023 at 4:27 AM ^
“Lots of hedging in that podcast.”
Guy with podcast alleges he has secret inside info but can’t release it because of his super secret sources while couching everything in vague language so he can continue to milk his audience for another week.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:23 AM ^
Yep! That’s the “insider” way. Always has been
November 3rd, 2023 at 8:25 AM ^
If you would rather get no information just don't watch the guy. I for one appreciate what Hole brings to the table. He is clearly a man of integrity who knows stuff but also knows that leaking any of what he knows might implicate his source(es).He's probably one of the more reassuring voices we have in this entire matter. Our society as a whole needs instant answers and instant gratification. These coaches and ADs clearly want it without even knowing the facts or the entire story.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:10 AM ^
Hole is ion the business of getting clicks for advertising and subscription purposes, just like all the other "insiders." I would agree with you that he seems to have considered his opinions before sharing them, but he is way too vague and roundabout for me to listen to him for long.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:31 AM ^
“He is clearly a man of integrity who knows stuff”
How do we know he “knows stuff” when he doesn’t say what that “stuff” is?
November 3rd, 2023 at 8:55 AM ^
Hole lost me when he said a few videos ago, (not a direct quote) "We'll all find out in a few weeks, or maybe a few months, or maybe never." Trusting this guy is dumb
November 3rd, 2023 at 1:00 PM ^
I have never followed or watched Isaiah Hole before the signgate thing. Every time I do watch him though it's mostly a disappointing and frustrating event. I am not any wiser on this thing than I was before I watched. I really wanted to hear the information that will put Michigan fans at ease.
I do appreciate though that he is a guy that is on Michigan's side. And he is out there helping our case.
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:39 AM ^
If we can't comment on an NCAA investigation, can we comment on a B1G investigation instead?
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:52 AM ^
It's fair point, but I think the answer is straightfoward. They were caught totally flat footed by this. This has been a coordinated hit with a huge amount of lead time to prep it...and UM found out two weeks ago. They need to be very careful about what they leak and how they leak it because if they do and it's wrong, they will look worse.
The unfortunate thing is UM is playing catchup and they are way behind.
November 3rd, 2023 at 10:24 AM ^
Agreed. I posted something like what you said last week. Just because he's a Michigan guy doesn't mean he doesn't need the clicks as much as those hacks at The Athletic and Thamel do.
November 3rd, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
Hole is constantly saying he has info that others don't have -- but doesn't share it. Why the hell not? That's what reporters do. I think he's not a substantial source of info, is teasing for clicks, and shouldn't be taken seriously as anything more than a guy who runs a fan-site.
November 3rd, 2023 at 2:37 AM ^
I really wish Michigan would just leak their own information and fight back. At this point you're being dragged through the mud daily, who cares about the "right" or proper thing. You have something you can say, just say it and if the B1G or NCAA say anything just say "wow weird how that pro-Michigan stuff leaked, maybe people should stop leaking stuff".
November 3rd, 2023 at 3:40 AM ^
It seems to me that while this firm almost certainly didn't hack anything they still committed a federal crime if they logged into the google drive.
Stalions' minion can't legally share the password: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2016/07/password_sharin_1.html
And even if it wasn't password protected you're not allowed to access someone else's google drive: https://evan.law/2022/06/18/google-drive-cfaa/
Not a lawyer tho...
November 3rd, 2023 at 4:13 AM ^
This is correct.
However, it does not stop the minion from providing files he has personally downloaded, assuming that he was authorized to download them.
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:22 AM ^
In the WSJ they had said the Firm had proof that several coaches had access to said drive. That information wouldn’t just come from downloaded files being shared
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:31 AM ^
Washington Post article.
I mean, maybe the WSJ also ran a story, but WaPo was first with that.
November 3rd, 2023 at 9:41 AM ^
“Had access” and “actually accessed” are two very different things. So, when you realize that WaPost got this from the OSU PI firm, you may understand why that wording is important.
i “have access” to tons of drives at work but only ever use the one pertinent to my job. Just totally disingenuous and clickbaity reporting
November 3rd, 2023 at 11:04 AM ^
I’m not arguing whether they had access or not. What I’m saying is the PI firm can’t discern that information with just downloaded files
November 3rd, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
Will Hobson based that on what two different sources told him (per his article). He did not base it on a review of the documents or drive.
And the PI firm would have likely based it on what their source of the documents said, I guess.
November 3rd, 2023 at 4:09 AM ^
If anyone committed a crime in the furtherance of outing Stalions, rest assured that Michigan will at least indirectly and partially receive lattitude to tell its side of the story. However, I'm not going to bite on that yet. I understand the rival incentives to burn Michigan, but criminality isn't a line I'd expect a rival or PI firm to cross. I welcome evidence, though, and am happy to wait.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:05 AM ^
Well, he makes it sound like B1G commissioner has some punishment in mind and Ono has to fix it. Worried about Harbaugh being on the sidelines and Ono is the only one who can change that narrative and Ono has info that commissioner does not have. This is news to me. All it takes is media nonsense to oust a coach now? Qanon mentality.
He says he knows the truth and it will almost set Michigan free. But sources won't allow for it to be said. I am disappointed that UM may even have to suspend Harbaugh for nothing he has done but the sources won't tell the truth and help him. What kind of bullshit is that?
It might take him two years to reveal the sources? I am not listening for two years to find out.
Michigan may self impose a punishment because that is who they are. Glad to hear UM is not OSU or SEC, but hurting ourselves is not a good model. Leaders don't just back down without a fight.
Disappointing video because there was no good news there except for the claim that when truth comes out UM will come out of it almost unscathed. Well, the damage is already done
November 3rd, 2023 at 11:37 AM ^
Why do people keep saying all the NCAA has is internet rumors. That clearly isn't true, they have information from other schools and other pieces of evidence.
It is also not uncommon to suspend someone with pay during an investigation because the evidence available is serious enough to warrant it. Its exactly what we did with Stallions. Is anyone arguing Stallions has been unfairly suspended because the investigation isn't complete?
Michigan can sue the big ten if they try to ban the team from the big ten championship. I don't think Michigan would win an injunction or a lawsuit for Harbaugh getting suspended pending the investigation. Something that is clearly within the commissioners power.
November 3rd, 2023 at 12:40 PM ^
Can he suspend Harbaugh. Yes he can. It does not mean Harbaugh cannot sue B1G personally as it is a slippery slope for B1G if courts are involved. It can no longer be hush hush.
November 3rd, 2023 at 1:06 PM ^
If Michigan truly did not break any NCAA rules with the filming at 30+ games (which I believe is the case), and the guy on the CMU sideline was not CS, then Michigan should not be penalized at all. Period. End of story. Self-imposing penalties because the public and coaches are upset would be the most asinine thing in the history of asinine things.
NCAA - do better with closing loop holes in your rule book. And add microphones to helmets.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:07 AM ^
“IF” Harbaugh coaches Saturday? What exactly will keep him off the sideline?
I know Cold and Flu season is upon us.. and, if he comes down with something - can I suggest he consider taking a Severe Symptom TheraFlu.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:09 AM ^
By B1G suspending him. That is premature but who cares about rules and laws anymore. It is all driven by fake outrage, cancel culture and self promotion.
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:17 AM ^
I’ll wager an internet dollar and “your drink of choice” at our tailgate before the OSU game that Harbaugh is coaching on Michigan’s sideline Saturday evening…
Any takers?
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:36 AM ^
I answered your question on how. I don't believe he will be suspended. I just gave the scenario based on what Hole said. I probably shouldn't have replied to you at all. May be yours was rhetorical.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:33 AM ^
maybe a dumb question. Does Tony Petitti meeting with Santa over Warde surprise anyone ? Did Santa say " Warde take the day off , I got this" ??
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:06 AM ^
Doesn't surprise me. The B1G brass works form the University Presidents, not the ADs. It's also the right 1:1 on the org chart. Someone a level lower than Petitti would be the right person to meet with an AD.
November 3rd, 2023 at 6:37 AM ^
so there is one more bad news drop coming yet??? Terrific….
and what truth are speaking of?? the wide network of sign stealers throughout the league?
November 3rd, 2023 at 7:19 AM ^
Yeah. I thought the Stallions at MSU deal was the first of two embarrassing reports.