University and Trusted Agents taking @Tonnorscalions seriously?
It's 8am and it's quiet here so figured after some stalking on x I'd post this for discussion...
Mods- Do with this as you wish...but I think there are some notable items for discussion. I will not post screenshots out of respect for not blatantly adding fuel to rumors. People can dig as much as they wish. Color me more than skeptical. But...here are some things to consider....
Intriguing reasons to be intrigued...
- His following has gone from 20 people to ~5,300 in 48 hours.
- People we generally trust like Hole, Balas, Scott Bell etc follow him
- Others with big followings follow him ie "a name I cannot mention with 3m followers"
- Michigan insider following and Sam insinuated it's a "trusted person"
- My contact on the medical staff is saying there is "real discussion about this account"
- Maybe the most important...Sarah Hubbard, Jordan Acker and other UM regents seem to be following. I find that odd if this is just a parody bull**** account.
- He is starting to post things that loosely connect the dots, verse just random claims
- It was mentioned on osu radio today and it was somewhat taken seriously...or more of that "I'm kind of joking but concerned" type of talk.
Reasons to be skeptical
- Writes in a borderline cartoonish language. Maybe it's a pet peeve of mine, but it makes the whole thing feel like a skit.
- No major publications picking it up. Maybe it's too early, maybe just not enough there.
- While making some connections, it still seems like random "throw stuff on the wall and see what sticks".
The answer is "just win Saturday" and Michigan already lost this PR battle. BUT...if some of this stuff is more than smoke it really could make a different with public perception and impact what kind of penalty UM is looking at down the road.
If you want to venture just go for @tonnorscalions on x.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:31 AM ^
I told my son last night that I wouldn't be surprised if this was a Michigan insider who set up this account with the full backing of the Michigan AD as a conduit to start dropping the information they have on OSU. It's taken me a number of days to go from laughably hopeful to "Whoa, there's some smoke. There must be a fire over there."
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:36 AM ^
This is actually where I am at. Too many trusted and professional people following it and giving it credence for me to 100% dismiss it, like I did to start.
My opinion is starting to be that there is real smoke, and proof of these things. It will help if the following continues to grow to 6 figures. We just need a little more so some mainstream people to catch it...assuming it's not BS.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:45 AM ^
If Regents are following the account, then I'm quite sure they know who the person is.
The only question will be, who's gonna actually give a shit? Unless they have verified HD visdeo and aaudio of Ryan Day calling the PI firm, I suspect no one.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:49 AM ^
I would not be surprised if the ADs official internal stance was to pause the PR war for now and its a random staffer sharing the same info of their own volition. Whether thats blessed by anyone in the AD or not is unknown but I find it hard to believe the AD would sign off on this
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:00 PM ^
Todd Anson tweeted that he didn’t know anything about this until yesterday. I feel that he would’ve had an idea of the story if the AD was behind this
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:33 AM ^
So much bullshit...
I can't take any of this seriously because Michigan has already lost this perception game. There's no reason to stay anonymous or to leak things out slowly. At this point, just name yourself and dump it all out in one big drop. Just expose it all.
The more this crap happens, the more I think it's actually an attempt by Michigan to do the same thing OSU did. And it's comically inept. Which is, honestly, the best Michigan can do in this type of warfare...
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:41 AM ^
Yep, the time to do this was 3 weeks ago.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:29 AM ^
True, but releasing this information now may have some benefit. If (and admittedly it is a big IF) a a main stream media outlet starts running with these facts/rumors this week, it may create a distraction for Ohio State heading into the Game. The same sort of distractions our coaches and players have had to deal with for the past several weeks.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:49 AM ^
Agree for the most part, but if this stuff is true it should matter with regard to Tony Petitti's tenure as Big Ten commissioner and the NCAA investigation (i.e. if Connor Stalions acted pretty much alone and what he was doing was actually common practice and gave no real competitive advantage, what should the punishment be outside of him being fired?).
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:53 AM ^
Agree. The Michigan stuff came gift wrapped with a nice bow to the NCAA by a private firm. This is exactly what the NCAA needs. All of the work done for them. Professional looking content and enough for them to jump in to hysteria mode.
I don’t think anyone in NCAA enforcement is going to do anything with a bunch of Twitter accusations. Too much actual work for them.
Maybe a professional firm will do more digging and gift wrap something for the NCAA but I doubt it. The NCAA still wouldn’t do anything because they are not motivated to address OSU. They are highly personally motivated to address Michigan. Anger and embarrassment are major motivators.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:06 AM ^
If I'm Santa Ono, I'm 100% hiring a PI firm and handing them whatever info I have. What have you got to lose? Worst case you blow a few grand and no one cares. But if they dig up some actual dirt, send it on to the NCAA and B1G. And if they don't care, go public with the info.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:26 AM ^
While they are at it, dig up dirt on the B1G and NCAA.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
What if the twitter revelation drop feed is designed to get the NCAA and B1G to act on what they’ve already been given.
This seems to be coordinated by design - e.g., started when Jordan Acker signed out with the Third Day of Ohio State week comment - so there is more to it than what we are seeing.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:59 AM ^
Exactly. The war is basically over at this point and we lost. Our only retribution will be found on the playing field at this point.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:46 AM ^
War is never over. Keep digging. If there is something there, bring it to light.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:47 AM ^
It’s not over until WE say it’s over …
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:56 AM ^
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
(Obligatory)
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:26 AM ^
Scorched earth. Burn it all down on our way to the ACC.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^
If UM wins big this Saturday, there will be next hit job from media asking UM to be banned from playoff. Exposing something now would help UM. These media hacks won't stop whether they have proof or not
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:48 AM ^
Worst part. If UM loses they are likely out of the playoffs due to the media outrage. If OSU loses I think they will still have a shot at the playoffs.
November 22nd, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^
No chance. People like money and that is what Michigan brings to the table. Even more so with this hanging over them. They are now the big villain, and more viewers will tune in to see the villain lose.
November 22nd, 2023 at 12:19 PM ^
Small correction. When they win Saturday
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:28 AM ^
Keeping it anonymous:
1) Ambiguity of who it is and how they would know, which makes it more credible than a known Michigan “slappy.”
2) Building the fire now as opposed to weeks ago allows for the smoke turns to campfire turns to forest fire for OSU by Saturday timeline.
Social media phenomenon burn quickly once they get momentum. The crescendo will be Saturday.
3) It was timed to distract Ryan Day and see doubt and fear in their very smug little fan base. It causes tension for their fans and their team—whether or not more will come out this week, it deflates this narrative they’ve built of “we only lost because ichigan cheated.”
And, they’ll be so distracted they’ll miss a few more 〽️s every time they write something claiming that 〽️ichigan isn’t in their heads.
I just learned of the account last night and I’m on Twitter way too much. Even if the whole thing were just a social media stunt, it’s currently working.
Smokey didn’t prevent the forest fire because he relied on the Charmin bear dancing around in that toilet bowl in Columbus.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
"1) Ambiguity of who it is and how they would know, which makes it more credible than a known Michigan “slappy.”"
Ah, yes, going by Tonner Scallions makes it look like its NOT a UM slappy....
November 22nd, 2023 at 5:13 PM ^
I really hope that nobody on this board gets their expectations up too much for something like this. Just enjoy the game. There will be no grand reveal, even if OSU is doing something illegal. Sorry fellas.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:19 AM ^
From small beginnings come great things.
In the age of social media no stance is permanent in the collective mind. You need to be persistent, consistent, and insistent on countering propaganda with your own. You may not entirely erase the perception created by the initial propaganda but you can at least muddy the waters.
What is called “Whataboutism” is actually an effective counterpropaganda technique. UM is in the right in deploying this tactic. You can’t fight a clean war with people who acknowledge no limits of conduct. This is a dirty war. They wanted it. They got it.
November 22nd, 2023 at 1:11 PM ^
I regretfully agree with this.
Though I do think they tried to initially.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:38 AM ^
Every reason to be intrigued can be written away by what we've all fallen for over the last few weeks. "Our media" spews the same level of garbage as "their media," but its for our consumption.
That being said, I want it to be true therefore it is verified and you can quote me anonymously on that. PS I once went to the football museum so you can source this from deep inside the program.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:46 AM ^
Remember when we were young kids and watching football was just that- watching football. It’s so far beyond that now it’s ridiculous.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:26 AM ^
I remember wearing my favorite jersey to school and the worst you got was "you got poop on yer shirt."
Now I have strangers saying legitimately vile shit to me for something I had nothing to do with and neither did anyone else.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
I unfortunately live in this shithole state, northern Ohio. My almost 50 yr old petite wife was called a cheater last weekend at the grocery for wearing her Michigan gear.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:59 AM ^
I live in Columbus. My license plate is Go Blue with the Michigan Wolverines license plate cover as well. I could give a rats ass what these people think. They ignored the adulterous slimeball Meyer because he won. They tried to overlook Tressel and his dirt. When the Buckeyes lose the whole town turns radio silent like a family member died or something. I am hoping for another weekend of silence after 3:30 PM Saturday.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:48 AM ^
I'm so sick of hearing "sources", Its just a way for a journalist to be wrong and have no ramifications. They are starting to be like weatherman with their job, Doesn't matter what they say.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:36 AM ^
what are reporters supposed to do though? most people who know things either talk off the record or want it to be anonymous. Sure, people abuse it though.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:54 AM ^
Reputable publications used to have standards about what they would go to print with from anonymous sources. There had to be multiple sources and/or there had to be really good reasons for the person being anonymous. Otherwise, they would just not print the story and would keep digging for information that could be verified on the record.
One of the most preposterous sets of anonymous quotes I feel like I've seen is in this ordeal are the coaches who talk about how they steal signs legally. It's legal! You don't have to be anonymous.
Separately, I've noticed that Dan Murphy (on the website that shall not be named) wrote a whole new story yesterday about Haller and Tucker. The first paragraph says sources say Haller wanted to part with Tucker before the season started but the MSU admin wouldn't let him. That was literally all it said about that. The rest of the story just rehashed all the news we already knew.
They had almost literally nothing and yet published a whole story and put it on their front page. Total joke.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:16 AM ^
Have journalistic standards
November 22nd, 2023 at 1:59 PM ^
Bingo. Report the news instead of creating the news.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:50 AM ^
I go to a dinner party last night and now there’s a new unverified/verified twitter account that’s spilling all the dirt. This is impossible to keep up with haha.
Could they not have started a week earlier and got Day suspended for Saturday.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:51 AM ^
never mind.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:51 AM ^
It's harmless fun on X.
The only way any of it gets real traction is if mainstream media runs with it. And for that to happen you have to have hard evidence of an OSU connection as well as wrongdoing.
He's also seriously running out of time. Nobody will pay attention tomorrow because of Thanksgiving. That gives him basically today to put anything good out, and Friday for somebody legitimate to corroborate.
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:49 AM ^
What do you think 20 and 30 somethings do on Thanksgiving? They watch football and obsess on Twitter. Nobody gives a shit about spending time with their family having conversations that don’t revolve around football. There are how many NFL games tomorrow and Friday? America is football.
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:03 AM ^
My point is that 20 and 30 something's on X are just that. Nobody in a position of power will do anything about any of it tomorrow.
November 22nd, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
I can guarantee that somebody in a position of power at Catapult is doing something about it right now. And it will ruin their holiday tomorrow, too.
This isn't a bad online review; it's way past the sort of thing you can take care of with the usual reputational cleansing. They have to make this go away immediately. And they can't do that without first establishing whether it's true.
November 22nd, 2023 at 8:52 AM ^
True or not we're all getting a lesson in how conspiracy theories radicalize people. Jfc
November 22nd, 2023 at 9:27 AM ^
It's literally how fascists take root
November 22nd, 2023 at 10:41 AM ^
Conspiracy theories are much older than any current political ideology. Fascists, Communists, etc… use the human tendency towards gravitating to conspiracy that neatly aligns with their own beliefs to their own advantage.
Judeophobes have used antisemitic conspiracies in Europe for over 1000 years. The most infamous being the Blood Libel which accused Jews of using the blood of Christians in Passover bread. Judeophobes were able to gain widespread acceptance of such an absurdity because of Christians distrust/fear/loathing of Jews. They preyed upon people’s prejudices and biases.
This is what all conspiracy theorists do which is why I generally hate conspiracy theories. Thru pander to the worst part of the human mind.
November 22nd, 2023 at 4:20 PM ^
And Communists.
November 22nd, 2023 at 5:16 PM ^
And the Elks.
November 22nd, 2023 at 11:16 AM ^
Conspiracy theories tend to gain traction when authoritative figures lose legitimacy. Some of the theories will always tend to pan out. But the one conspiracy theory that most people (in a given group) need to basically agree on for this type of thinking to emerge is that the current ruling class (in whichever arena) is not working in generally the way that it is meant to or for the purposes that it purports to work toward.. If that conspiracy theory about a subversive or dishonest ruling elite is true or is perceived to be true by many people, alternatives to the regime narrative will always emerge. Some will be insane, some will be basically correct. Polite lies that have been told to keep the peace will be the first to fall away, though.