The NCAA is investigating the Michigan Wolverines‘ football program amid allegations of sign stealing, the Big Ten Conference announced Thursday.
The University of Michigan and the Big Ten were both notified by the NCAA of the investigation on Wednesday, and the conference said it had notified the Wolverines’ future opponents.
“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation,” it said in a statement.
According to a report by Yahoo Sports, Michigan allegedly had people attending games of future opponents as well as possible College Football Playoff opponents to gather information on signs used to call plays on offense and defense.
If true, the No. 2 Wolverines would have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states: “Off-campus, in-person scouring of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”
U.S. Integrity, a Las Vegas firm that monitors the betting market, sent out an alert to its sportsbook clients regarding the Michigan controversy Thursday, ESPN confirmed.
Michigan (6-0) plays Michigan State on Saturday.
Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh has already served a university-imposed three-game suspension this season stemming from alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 dead period and not cooperating with NCAA investigators.
Michigan still is facing four Level II violations, which are considered less serious, from those alleged violations. That ruling from the NCAA is not expected until 2024.
ESPN’s David Purdum contributed to this report.
Source:ESPN
