Michigan parts ways with staffer at center of alleged sign-stealing scheme
Michigan announced Friday that it has parted ways with Connor Stalions, the school's recruiting analyst at the center of the NCAA's investigation into the Wolverines over allegations of sign-stealing.
"Connor Stalions resigned his position with Michigan athletics this afternoon," a school statement read, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.
The Wolverines originally announced Oct. 20 that Stalions was suspended, with pay, pending the conclusion of the NCAA's probe. Michigan is accused of using unnamed individuals to attend games of scheduled opponents and other potential College Football Playoff contenders to steal their play signals.
The NCAA sought access to Stalions' computer due to his alleged level of involvement in the operation. He refused to cooperate with any internal or external investigations or discussions, a source told The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach.
"As he informed the school earlier today, Connor chose to resign because recent stories regarding his time with the University of Michigan have created a distraction for the team," Stalions' attorney, Brad Beckworth, said Friday, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.
"He hopes his resignation will help the team and coaching staff focus on tomorrow's game and the remainder of the season. Connor also wants to make it clear that, to his knowledge, neither Coach (Jim) Harbaugh nor any other coach or staff member told anyone to break any rules or were aware of improper conduct regarding the recent allegations of advanced scouting."
Sign-stealing isn't prohibited in college football, but in-person scouting of opponents has been banned since 1994. Michigan has used an "elaborate" scouting system to steal signals from future opponents since at least 2021, according to ESPN.
A retired United States Marine Corps captain, Stalions initially joined the Michigan coaching staff in a full-time role in May 2022, according to Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press.
Stalions reportedly purchased tickets in his own name for more than 30 games over the past three years at 11 different Big Ten schools. He also apparently bought tickets to the last two SEC title games.
TCU, which faced Michigan in a College Football Playoff game in December 2022, reportedly changed many of its play-call signals before the matchup after multiple Big Ten coaches tipped the team off to the Wolverines' scheme.
Central Michigan also recently began investigating after photos emerged of an individual resembling Stalions standing on its sideline for the Chippewas' season opener against Michigan State in September.
Harbaugh has denied having any knowledge about the alleged sign-stealing scheme. Michigan hosts Purdue on Saturday.