86 takeaways from 74-page NCAA report on Michigan football sign-stealing investigation, punishment

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The NCAA released its findings and punishment for Michigan football, Jim Harbaugh, Sherrone Moore, Connor Stalions, and others in the sign-stealing case on Friday.

Brief background

Former football staffer Connor Stalions is accused of breaking NCAA advanced scouting rules by sending people to games involving future Michigan opponents to gather cellphone footage of sideline signals.

The Big Ten suspended then-head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular season games of the 2023 season during the investigation, and Michigan has self-imposed a two-game suspension for current head coach Sherrone Moore this year.

The Wolverines went on to win the national championship in 2023, and NCAA President Charlie Baker quickly went on the record to defense that title, saying it was won “fair and square.”

Here are 86 takeaways from the 74-page document detailing the NCAA committee on infractions’ findings:

‘The architect’

The NCAA introduces Stalions as “the architect behind an elaborate impermissible scouting scheme.”

‘Broader acceptance of scheme’

In the introduction of its findings, the NCAA suggested that there was, at the very least, a general acceptance of what Stalions was doing.

“In his role, Stalions had access to key members of Michigan’s coaching staff. Aspects of the record suggest that there may have been broader acceptance of the scheme throughout the program. At a minimum, there was a willful intent not to learn more about Stalions’ methods.”

True scope ‘will never be known’

The NCAA said in the introduction that the true scope and scale of the scheme, as well as the competitive advantage it provided, will “never be known due to individuals’ intentional destruction and withholding of materials and information.”

How many games were illegally scouted?

The NCAA says that from 2021-2023, Stalions bought tickets to games that featured future Michigan opponents and directed others to go to those games.

Those people would film signal callers on the sidelines and send that film to Stalions, the report says.

Stalions personally attended a future opponent’s game once, the report says.

In total, there were 56 instance of off-campus, in-person scouting. The scouting involved 13 future regular-season opponents across 52 games, the NCAA reports.

Denard Robinson, Steve Clinkscale recruiting violations

The report says Denard Robinson, a former star quarterback for the program who was on staff at the time, and Steve Clinkscale, the former defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, committed recruiting violations in the spring and summer of 2023.

They gave one high school prospect and his family gear, transportation, and a meal that broke the rules, the NCAA reports.

Clinkscale tried to get another prospect verified on Instagram and donated to another prospect’s dad’s charity, per the report.

These were determined to be Level 2 violations.

Jesse Minter, Chris Partridge recruiting violations

The NCAA also accuses former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and former linebackers coach Chris Partridge of sending “nearly 100 text messages” to a prospect before the allowed contact date.

These were also determined to be Level 2 violations.

Harbaugh’s responsibility

The NCAA said the various violations in the football program show that former head coach Jim Harbaugh violated his responsibilities as the leader of the program.

“As a general matter, head coaches are responsible for the culture and conduct in their program,” the report says. “A key component of that culture is compliance, which is a shared responsibility. Harbaugh did not embrace that responsibility.

‘Contentious relationship with compliance office’

Investigators said they also found that Harbaugh and his program had a “contentious relationship” with the school’s compliance office.

That relationship led to “coaches and staff members (acting), at times, with disregard for the rules,” the report says.

“Compliance efforts were a one-way street,” the committee found. “For the scouting violations that occurred during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Harbaugh failed to demonstrate that he adequately promoted compliance and monitored his program. Harbaugh is also automatically responsible for the scouting and recruiting violations that occurred after January 1, 2023. This violation is Level I.”

Failure to cooperate

The report says Stalions, Harbaugh, Robinson, and Moore all failed tocooperate with the investigation, at times.

“Their conduct ranged from destroying relevant materials to providing false and misleading information during interviews,” it says. “Each of those violations is Level I, except for Moore’s failure to cooperate, which is Level II.”

Culture questions

The introduction of the report suggests that Michigan’s executive senior associate athletic director and chief student development and compliance officer is well-respected in the industry and tried to promote compliance.

It goes on to say that “the culture of the football program, however, was more powerful and won the day.”

“The efforts of the chief compliance officer and her staff were not welcomed,” it says. “Instead, they were rebuked, dismissed and disregarded by the football program. As a result, Michigan failed to create a culture of compliance in the football program. Additionally, and more specific to some of the conduct in this case, Michigan also failed to educate and monitor its football staff and interns.”

How did the investigation start?

There has been a lot of speculation about how this investigation reached the NCAA’s radar, with some even believing that Ohio State is involved.

But the NCAA is not releasing that information -- at least not at this time.

The report says the NCAA learned on Oct. 17, 2023 that Michigan might be involved in an impermissible scouting scheme.

“That information arose via a confidential source and was further developed by an investigative firm that provided a report of its findings to the NCAA,” the report says. “Because the reported information suggested a potential real-time and ongoing threat to the integrity and fairness of upcoming football contests, the day after receiving that report, the NCAA notified Michigan and the Big Ten Conference about the alleged conduct.”

Connor Stalions background

The report provided some background on Connor Stalions focused on his ability to decipher signals and how he got into that realm.

If you watched the Netflix documentary, you likely know most of this information. Click here for my 22 takeaways from that documentary from the day of its release.

Here’s what the committee on infractions wrote about Stalions:

Stalions was a lifelong Michigan football fan. Inspired by the history and success of Michigan’s program, Stalions set his sights on being a football coach at an early age. Described by his father as very focused and driven, Stalions began carving out a path to achieve that goal. After studying the backgrounds of prominent coaches, Stalions decided to obtain military training, leading him to attend college at the United States Naval Academy (Navy). While at Navy, Stalions volunteered as a student coach with the football program and was tasked with deciphering opponents’ signals— a practice widely referred to as “sign stealing.”

As addressed during the 2024 Netflix documentary featuring Stalions, Untold: Sign Stealer, the practice of sign stealing is common among Division I football programs. Stalions estimated that 80 to 90 percent of teams have an intelligence operations staff member focused on deciphering signals. Those individuals are permitted to do so while in-game against opponents, by reviewing TV broadcasts and by trading information with staff members at other institutions.

After graduating from Navy in 2017 and joining the United States Marine Corps, Stalions attended a coaches’ clinic at Michigan. While there, he introduced himself to Partridge and offered to assist the coaching staff by deciphering opponents’ signals.10 Around that time, Stalions became a volunteer with the program. Due to his desire to take advantage of the opportunity, Stalions went to significant lengths to attend games despite the logistical challenges. Specifically, because Stalions was stationed in California at the time he was volunteering with the program, he frequently purchased flights to travel to and from Michigan’s games. Stalions also listed his home on Airbnb and slept in his car, in part, as a way to save money.

During his time with Michigan, Stalions became the go-to staff member for deciphering signals and gathering intelligence. In 2018, Stalions got involved in an “underground community” of analysts that would regularly trade information about opponents, such as signals or game plans. Further, Stalions recalled that another coaching staff member referred to him as the “man with the answer” when Michigan’s own signals were being easily deciphered in 2021. At the hearing, Stalions mentioned several measures that he suggested to protect Michigan’s signals, the most common of which was waiting for opponents to make an offensive play call before Michigan called its defensive play.

NCAA's University of Michigan – Public Infractions Decision

Harbaugh’s record before and after Stalions

The report says that Stalions was hired as a full-time recruiting staff member in May 2022 after several years of volunteering with the football program.

It notes that Harbaugh was “directly involved” in this hiring, and the document included a footnote about the program’s record before and after that decision.

“Prior to Stalions being hired as a full-time staff member, Harbaugh’s record at Michigan was 61-24. After Stalions’ hire, Harbaugh’s record was 28-1,” the footnote reads.

Stalions’ job didn’t involve recruiting

Although Stalions was hired as a “recruiting staff member,” his job didn’t change from deciphering opponents’ signs, according to the committee’s findings.

“In his interview with the enforcement staff, Michigan’s director of recruiting hypothesized that hiring Stalions into a recruiting role was the easiest way to get him a full-time job without creating a new analyst or quality control position,” it says. “As such, Stalions never actually worked in or contributed to the recruiting department.”

It says that Stalions was named a defensive analyst in 2023, reporting to Partridge. It also says his job duties remained the same as before he took on that role.

Game day sheets reference Minter, Moore

The report says two of Stalions’ game day sheets -- the sheets he made of himself demonstrating certain signals -- had “Minter” and “Moore” written at the top.

At the time, Minter was the team’s defensive coordinator, and Moore was the offensive coordinator.

Importance of sign-stealing sheets

During a hearing, Stalions downplayed the importance of the game day sheets, saying their primary role was to protect Michigan’s own signs from being stolen.

Standing next to coaches on sidelines

Stalions was often seen on the sidelines during games standing next to Minter, Moore, and Harbaugh.

“While Stalions was on the sidelines next to coaching staff members, he would actively decipher opponents’ signals and yell out the plays he identified,” the report says.

Stalions said during his hearing that the information he relayed was used “closer to never than sometimes.” He said he didn’t think it influenced coaches’ play calls.

Did Jim Harbaugh know?

The NCAA says Stalions made “inconsistent statements” about whether or not Harbaugh was aware of his scouting operation.

During the Netflix documentary, Stalions said he got a game ball after a win in 2022 because of his ability to decipher signals.

Stalions said he took the game ball as Harbaugh’s was of saying, “We see you. You’re doing a good job.”

But at his hearing, Stalions said he was only speculating about the reason for the game ball and said that Harbaugh usually gave out 15 game balls per game.

Moore told the committee that Harbaugh made an effort to recognize many staff members with game balls throughout the season.

Who went to scout games?

The report says that Stalions sent the following people to illegally scout opponents:

• His acquaintances.
• Another Michigan football staff member.
• Current and former interns and their friends.
• Football student-athletes and their friends.

‘KGB’

The report says Stalions called the “network of individuals” he used to advanced scout a “counterintelligence” group.

He referred to it as the “KGB,” the report says. The KGB was an intelligence agency for the Soviet Union.

Details of operation

The report says Stalions would buy game tickets in the lower bowl with a clear view of the sideline.

He would transfer tickets to whoever was going to the game.

“Using phones often purchased and provided by Stalions, attendees filmed football coaches and staff members signaling plays from the sidelines,” the report says. “Attendees would then send Stalions film, which he would analyze to decipher the opponents’ signals.”

During his hearing, Stalions confirmed that he bought tickets for people and that they would sometimes send him recordings.

Others, including football interns, corroborated the process and said Stalions told them to attend games to film opponents’ sidelines.

‘Dirty film’

The investigation found that during a recorded phone call, Stalions referred to the footage he received from people who went to those games as “dirty film.”

Evidence of advanced scouting

The report listed some of the evidence investigators found to confirm the scheme.

That included ticket receipts, ticket transfer data, pictures and videos from the games, documents created by Stalions, a “Master Chart” of Michigan’s opponents and who could attend their games, and a Google calendar to keep track of attendees.

Stalions also had a document for the group called, “How to steal signals.” It included tips like where to focus the cameras to get the best footage and how to respond if anyone asked why they were filming, according to the report.

“When asked about Stalions’ devices, accounts and documents, multiple members of the KGB stated that Stalions gave them access to his hard drives and Google drive to review videos and assist in identifying signals,” the report says.

$35,000 in tickets

Financial documents from Stalions’ work computer showed that he spent almost $35,000 on tickets from the secondary market in 2022.

The transactions were all listed as a work expense with the description, “Tickets for Michigan football,” the report says.

Stalions also paid for some people’s travel and lodging.

Stalions never asked for reimbursement

The report says there’s no evidence that Stalions sought reimbursement for any of the expenses.

How did Stalions pay for the tickets?

When Stalions was asked as his hearing about how he paid for the tickets, he said he did so himself.

He said he made a significant amount of money renting and selling his California home.

He also said that some of the tickets he bought didn’t involve Michigan opponents, and that he sometimes would resell tickets for profit.

Central Michigan vs. Michigan State game

The photo of Stalions on the Central Michigan sideline during their 2023 game against Michigan State has been widely shared online. The NCAA report also touches on it here:

“On one occasion in 2023, Stalions personally engaged in-person scouting when he stood on Central Michigan University’s sideline wearing a bench pass and disguised in Central Michigan-issued coaching gear during the institution’s contest against Michigan State,” it says. “According to interview statements by a former football staff member, Stalions attended that game in part to decipher Michigan State’s signals, but also to help a Central Michigan staff member with play calling.”

Was the advanced scouting legal?

The NCAA pointed out that Stalions had some inconsistencies when he was asked about whether he understood the advanced scouting rule.

The report found that neither Stalions nor anyone else in the football program asked the compliance office if this operation was legal.

“I don’t break the rules,” Stalions said in the Netflix documentary. “I just walk a very fine line in the gray. I exploit the rules.”

Compliance officer’s view

When the committee’s panel questioned Michigan’s chief compliance officer, she said that if she would have been asked about the advanced scouting operation, she would have at least asked for input from the Big Ten or NCAA about its legality.

Compliance officer on Harbaugh

The chief compliance officer said that Harbaugh was “very aggressive about exploiting advantages.” She said that if he thought the scouting operation was within the rules, he “would have had a team of people out scouting games on a regular basis.”

Stalions’ personal phone

After the allegations were made, Michigan collected Stalions’ devices on Oct. 19, 2023, for the investigation.

That included his work phone, his work laptop, and an external hard drive, according to the report.

“After learning that Stalions had a personal phone that they did not collect, the institution’s chief compliance officer and the director of football operations met with Stalions in the hallway and asked him to submit his device,” the report says. “As the chief compliance officer stated during her interview with the enforcement staff, ‘he declined to do so.’”

Stalions told the NCAA that he didn’t give up his personal phone because he was worried that the timing would cause him to leave work without it.

He was told not to delete or destroy anything from that phone.

“Michigan staff members made repeated attempts to encourage Stalions to bring his phone in for imaging, but he did not produce the phone,” the report says. “Stalions’ counsel also stated that Stalions was considering whether to produce his personal phone ahead of the institution’s disciplinary review conference scheduled for Nov. 2, 2023. Stalions ultimately did not attend that meeting and resigned the following day without producing his phone.”

Stalions clears out office

Around the time when news of the advanced scouting scheme broke, Stalions told a student-athlete and an intern to use backpacks to remove items from the football office, according to the report.

The athlete and intern in question had been part of the advanced scouting operation.

They told investigators that the items included “a little black box kind of thing.” They said Stalions put everything on his desk and some files next to his desk into the backpack.

Concerns about hard drive

The same afternoon as files were taken from his office, Stalions expressed concern to a staff member and an athlete that his hard drive might be taken from his office during the investigation, the report says.

“Stalions instructed intern 1 to ‘clear out’ emails, photos, texts and videos related to the scouting scheme,” the report reads. “Intern 1 complied and then instructed a friend, who attended and recorded three games as part of the scheme, to do the same. During the hearing, Stalions stated that he did not recall telling them to delete any information.”

Sherrone Moore’s deleted texts

The investigation says that Moore deleted the entire 52-message text thread with Stalions on his personal phone about 30 minutes after the original article about the advanced scouting operation was published.

The next day, Moore deleted a single message from his work phone after receiving Michigan’s preservation notice, according to the report. That message was part of a broader threat that referenced Stalions standing by Moore during a game, the report reads.

“Moore did not immediately disclose that he had deleted any messages,” the committee found. “When questioned by the enforcement staff, Moore initially blamed the deleted messages on storage space, although he eventually admitted to deleting them as an emotional reaction to the news.”

Chris Partidge talks to athlete

The report says the athlete who helped Stalions clear out the items from office spoke to Partridge twice on Nov. 14, 2023.

The athlete had an upcoming interview about the investigation and went to Partridge for advice, the report says.

“The first exchange occurred prior to practice, when student-athlete 1 announced to Partridge and a group of about five other student-athletes that he was being interviewed the following day,” the report reads. “Partridge stated that student-athlete 1 then followed Partridge into his office to ask for advice about the interview. During that exchange, Partridge suggested that student-athlete 1 retain counsel and talk to his father. Partridge said that student-athlete 1 then asked if they could talk again later. In support of this account, Partridge submitted an affidavit from one of the other student-athletes who was present in the room.”

After practice, Partridge said he got a text from the athlete, who said he was waiting in Partridge’s office.

“Partridge walked by his office and told student-athlete 1 to walk with him and talk,” the report says. “Student-athlete 1 gave Partridge a summary of the conversation with his father, and Partridge reiterated that he thought student-athlete 1 should get a lawyer, then they parted ways. In addition to the affidavit, Partridge’s account of the interactions is closely supported by camera footage from around the facility.”

Harbaugh’s personal cellphone

U of M sent Harbaugh and his counsel “priority reports” of the data taken from his personal cellphone and realized that attorney-client information from different matters, as well as sensitive personal information, was included in the report.

Over the following weeks, Harbaugh’s legal team and enforcement staff members went back and forth trying to get that data, and the enforcement staff ultimately issued a Jan. 31, 2024, deadline.

Harbaugh left Michigan for the San Diego Chargers on Jan. 24, 2024, and didn’t submit the records to the enforcement staff.

The staff reached back out to him on May 17, 2024, making a final request for an interview and those records, but Harbaugh didn’t respond, the report says.

Chris Partridge’s texts with Stalions

After Partridge and Michigan parted ways, the enforcement staff gave him the opportunity to go through the data taken from his phone to withhold any attorney-client info or info irrelevant to the investigation.

Partridge first withheld about 7,000 communications out of over 15,000 texts and emails. That included 58 text messages with Stalions, according to the report.

‘Shattered in 1,000 pieces under a pond’

During a Nov. 9, 2023, phone call that was recorded between Stalions and the athlete who helped him clear out the office, Stalions said that his personal phone was “shattered in 1,000 pieces under a pond,” according to the report.

The report says that Stalions told the athlete, “They don’t have hard drives of the film. My film is in the bottom of the pond.”

Stalions admitted during his hearing that he disposed of his phone in a pond.

“Specifically, Stalions stated that he received significant backlash and threats after the scouting scheme became public,” the report reads. “Stalions said that the comments had a significant impact on his mental health so he ‘got a new number, got rid of [the phone], [and] moved on.’”

He was asked if he failed to preserve relevant materials when he disposed of the phone, and he replied, “I can’t answer no to that.”

Stalions estimated that he got rid of the phone about a week after news of the operation broke.

Stalions asks athlete to give false info

During the phone call, Stalions asked the athlete to give false info to the enforcement staff about his role in the operation, the source of Stalions’ stolen signals, and any knowledge of Stalions’ hard drives containing film, according to the report.

The report says Stalions told the athlete, “Again, if you just stick to that story, you’re good. ... Whatever you say is your story and that’s going to be what the truth is. This is also not the court of law. You can technically lie your ass off.”

Clinkscale buys dinner for recruit, parents

The report includes information from a high school recruit who said Clinkscale bought dinner for him and his parents in the spring of 2023, when he wasn’t on an official or unofficial visit.

He said Clinkscale drove them to a Mediterranean restaurant about five minutes from campus and paid for the meal.

Robinson gives gear to family

The same recruit said he remembered getting gear directly from Robinson.

“Specifically, prospect 1 stated that Robinson handed him a drawstring bag containing a variety of gear. Around that time, Robinson had sent a text message to another staff member asking him to ‘get some stuff for [prospect 1]’ and ‘his pops.’

“When that staff member indicated that managers were not around, presumably to fulfill the request, Robinson sent him the contact information for the assistant equipment manager stating, ‘He said he can put one together.’”

Robinson said he never gave out any gear to that recruit, and that any gear the prospect would have received was from the BBQ at the Big House official recruiting event held by the Michigan football program.

Partridge, Minter texts to recruit

The violation involving texts from Partridge and Minter to a different recruit from January through April 2023 was further detailed in the report.

It says Partridge sent the recruit 77 texts, while Minter sent 18.

When he was asked about these texts outside the allowed contact period, Partridge said he “screwed that up” and didn’t realize the prospect’s age due to his early commitment to Michigan, according to the report.

Partridge said the recruit had committed to Michigan before he returned, and that he took over as the lead recruiter for that prospect from Minter and incorrectly assumed the prospect was one year older than his actual age.

“At the hearing, Partridge claimed that the prospect was persistent, often initiating the conversations, and that his responses were usually limited to reactions (i.e., a “thumbs up” acknowledging receipt)," the report says. “In his interview, Partridge explained that he continued to respond because ‘you never want to ignore a recruit.’”

Partridge said he stopped texting the prospect when he realized his error. But the report says Minter continued to exchange messages with the prospect after a reminder from the compliance staff.

Michigan ultimately did not accept that prospect’s commitment, the report says.

Warde Manuel on compliance staff relationship

Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel is referenced in the report when it dove deeper into the relationship between the football staff and the compliance office.

“The relationship between Michigan’s football staff members and the compliance office was challenging at best,” it says. “According to Michigan’s director of athletics, he observed a ‘tension’ between the football and compliance staffs and alluded to a lack of respect towards compliance staff members.”

The chief compliance officer said football staffers would regularly question her staff’s authority. She said she was perceived as a thorn in Harbaugh’s side.

Compliance staff as ‘roadblock’

Partridge told investigators that football staffers viewed the compliance staff as a “roadblock.”

One recruiting staffer said in a text exchange that Michigan’s compliance staff was “s----- at their jobs and actively working against us from the inside. True scum of the earth.”

‘As long as you got it done’

The NCAA said the culture within Michigan’s football program was not proactive in identifying and reporting violations.

At the hearing, Stalions said, “no one really cared ... how you got it done as long as you got it done.”

An athlete said that staffers “went out of their way to not know” about Stalions’ sign-stealing operation.

Intern reports concerns about Stalions

The report includes a story from an intern from June 2023. The intern said Stalions asked him to use Stalions’ driver’s license to rent a car under Stalions’ name.

The intern refused and went to Partridge, saying he didn’t want to work with Stalions anymore, per the reprot.

“According to intern 2, when he brought up ‘the signal stealing,’ Partridge told him that he did not want to hear any more about that.”

Conference opponent calls assistant coach

Investigators said an assistant coach got a call from a conference opponent who had concerns about Stalions’ sign-stealing methods.

“In his interview, that assistant coach stated that he was upset by the accusation, went to Minter’s office and said, ‘if you guys are going further than the rules you need to stop.’”

The assistant coach said that Minter told him, “I don’t know if that’s going on.” Minter denied that the interaction happened.

Michigan argues scouting violations

Michigan and Stalions both argued that the scope of the scouting bylaw is narrow. They said a program employee has to actually attend a game in-person to commit a violation.

They both argued that the bylaw doesn’t expressly prohibit scouting “indirectly” through others.

Stalions said he didn’t commit any violations merely by reviewing the film he received from others.

Michigan admits CMU vs. MSU game was violation

The report says that Michigan and Stalions both admitted that his in-person attendance at the Central Michigan vs. Michigan State game was a violation.

7 instances of Michigan staffers at games

Michigan argued that the bylaw only limits scouting by athletics staff members and doesn’t extend to Stalions’ acquaintances.

They argued that the violations only apply to the seven times scouting was conducted by football program interns.

The report notes that Michigan’s compliance officer would have recommended against continuing the operation.

How much did the advanced scouting help?

The report notes that Michigan and Stalions said the sign-stealing operation did not provide a competitive advantage.

As support for that argument, Michigan pointed out that the ban of advanced scouting was implemented as a cost-saving measure, not for competitive balance.

Stalions critiques scouting rules

The report says that “Stalions also criticized the significance of the scouting bylaw in today’s landscape. In his NOA response, Stalions referred to the rule as ‘antiquated’ and ‘obsolete’ given the wide availability of game film that can be analyzed permissibly.

“Further, during the hearing, Stalions repeatedly diminished the advantages of sign stealing and his role on Michigan’s staff. For instance, Stalions said that the number of times a coaching staff member actually used his signal deciphering information was ‘closer to never than sometimes.’”

Competitive advantage

The committee on infractions wrote that it believes the scouting operation “likely” provided Michigan with a competitive advantage, or at the very least, was intended to do so.

“The panel is confident that the scheme was intended to provide Michigan with an advantage over all of its opponents,” it reads.

NCAA believes scouting provided advantage

The report shot down the argument that the violations weren’t serious because of the original reason for creating the violated bylaw.

“A financial rationale may have been the starting point for this bylaw,” the report reads. “However, that does not mean that there is no competitive advantage component or that future abuses are somehow permissible simply because they were not contemplated at the inception of the rule.

“Rather, violating any rule can create an advantage over other compliant institutions. The panel also notes the significant amount of time, effort and resources that Stalions put into the scheme, as well as his attempts to cover up his conduct.

“In short, there was a clear, sophisticated and well-resourced operation in place to skirt a rule, all aimed at gaining an advantage over competitors. That alone contradicts the principles of honesty, fair play and sportsmanship in violation of Bylaw 10.

“Although not quantifiable, Michigan’s on-field success during the time the scheme was in place further suggests that the advantage gained was more than marginal.”

‘This case is one of one’

The report notes three previous investigations into advanced scouting by Baylor, Utah, and Buffalo. But none of them rose to this level, it says.

“This case is one of one, essentially an issue of first impression for the NCAA and the COI,” the report reads.

Then, later, “The scope and scale of the scheme are unlike any scouting cases previously encountered by the COI.”

Scathing review of Harbaugh

The NCAA’s report offered a scathing review of Harbaugh and how he ran the program.

“Harbaugh ran a program that was largely dismissive of rules compliance,” it says. “There was little, if any, emphasis on following the rules. To the contrary, his program saw compliance as the enemy, made their own decisions regarding interpreting the rules to their benefit, or outright committed rules violations. Harbaugh failed to rebut his presumption of responsibility for the scouting violations that occurred during the 2021 and 2022 seasons because he did not demonstrate that he adequately promoted compliance and monitored his program.”

It notes that the allegations involve at least four full-time staffers, three interns, and two athletes.

“Per his own staff’s account, compliance education in the football program was lacking, in large part because the compliance staff was not welcomed into the program,” the report reads. “Staff members also made statements indicating a disconnect from and disdain for Michigan’s compliance staff members.

“In sum, Harbaugh conditioned his staff to view compliance as, at best, a burden, and at worst, adversaries.”

Michigan, Harbaugh differed on his violation

The report notes that Michigan agreed Harbaugh “violated head coach responsibility legislation,” but Harbaugh disagreed with the violation in his notice of allegations response.

Stalions raises concerns about confidential source

Michigan and Stalions both raised many concerns about a “confidential source” used by the NCAA during the investigation.

At one point, Stalions even suggested that certain information might have been illegally taken from his Google drive, making the rest of the investigation “fruit of the poisonous tree.”

The NCAA noted that Stalions never contacted law enforcement about those concerns.

Scope of Stalions’ failure to cooperate

The NCAA’s committee on infractions said Stalions’ lack of cooperation is among the worst in history.

“The scope and scale of Stalions’ failure to cooperate is one of the more significant and serious failures the COI has seen,” it reads.

Netflix documentary

The report alleges that Stalions went far beyond confirming, correcting, or denying public knowledge when he did the Netflix documentary.

“Instead, the documentary was a piece of public advocacy that shared confidential details, including footage of the enforcement staff from their April 25, 2024, interview,” the report says.

The committee called Stalions’ counsel “hostile” at points during the in-person hearing.

“Stalions’ conduct went far beyond the outermost limits of the bylaw,” the report says. “Such behavior threatens the integrity of the process and the people involved in it. In light of this conduct, Stalions’ participation in the documentary violated his legislated responsibility to cooperate.”

Why Sherrone Moore got Level 2 violation

The NCAA explained why Moore’s violation for deleting text messages -- even after getting a message from compliance staff to preserve evidence -- was a Level 2 violation, instead of a Level 1.

Moore’s text messages were recovered without issue, and he acknowledged and explained his conduct during questioning, and continued to cooperate with the rest of the investigation, the report says.

“Moreover, and while not directly relevant to the underlying conduct, Moore attended the two-day in-person hearing and provided candid, valuable perspective,” it reads.

“Importantly, Moore -- Michigan’s current head football coach -- explained his views on compliance and the culture of compliance he intends to instill in his program. Michigan’s chief compliance officer confirmed that Moore has taken a new and different approach than his predecessor. The panel factored this positive development into Moore’s violation, classification and ultimate penalty.”

Failure to monitor football program

In regard to the University of Michigan’s responsibility in this case, the report points to a failure to monitor the football program.

“The underlying scouting and recruiting violations demonstrate that Michigan failed to monitor its football program,” the report reads. “Specifically, Michigan failed to create a culture of compliance in the football program and educate and monitor its football staff and interns.”

Not enough evidence that Patridge told player to lie

The report says there are questions about Partridge’s knowledge of the scouting operation, but found that there’s not enough information to reasonably say he told a player to lie about it to enforcement staff.

“Likewise, the panel did not conclude that Partridge engaged in tryout or inducement violations, thus his denials did not constitute violations,” it reads. “Finally, although Partridge should have been more intentional and careful with his phone records, his delayed production of relevant materials resulted from technological issues, vastly different from the intentional behaviors of others in this case.”

Actual severity of violations for all involved

Here’s how the severity of the violations for everyone involved was officially categorized in the report:

• Michigan: Level 1 -- aggravated
• Connor Stalions: Level 1 -- aggravated
• Jim Harbaugh: Level 1 -- aggravated
• Denard Robinson: Level 1 -- aggravated
• Sherrone Moore: Level 2 -- standard
• Chris Partridge: Level 2 -- mitigated

Why Michigan’s Level 1 violation is ‘aggravated’

Here are the five reasons given for why Michigan’s Level 1 violation is considered “aggravated”:

• Responsible for multiple Level 1 and/or Level 2 violations.
• Violations were premeditated, deliberate or committed after substantial planning.
• Authority figures condoned, participated in or negligently disregarded the violation or related wrongful conduct.
• Pattern of noncompliance within the involved program.
• Intentional, willful, or blatant disregard for NCAA bylaws by a person with institutionally derived authority.

6th aggravating factor against Michigan declined

The panel declined to pin Michigan with a sixth “aggravating” factor: “Failing or refusing to take all appropriate steps to advance resolution of this matter.”

Even though the enforcement staff recommended that factor, the panel found that there’s not sufficient evidence that Michigan hindered or thwarted the investigation.

“The panel is disappointed that Michigan did not take a more active role in producing the requested materials or using its authority to ensure that its employees met their obligations,” the report says. “Michigan and others may have taken advantage of the enforcement staff’s early collaborative approach. Absent clear written expectations and deadlines, however, the factor cannot apply to Michigan.

“It is unfortunate that the enforcement staff will likely need to alter its approach in the collaborative peer review process, but to promote timely production in a rolling manner and set clear expectations, the enforcement staff should include written expectations and deadlines.”

Why Stalions’ Level 1 violation is ‘aggravated’

Here are the six reasons given for why Stalions’ Level 1 violation is considered “aggravated”:

• Responsible for multiple Level 1 and/or Level 2 violations.
• Failing or refusing to take all appropriate steps to advance resolution of the matter.
• Violations were premeditated, deliberate or committed after substantial planning.
• Authority figure condoned, participated in or negligently disregarded the violation or related wrongful conduct.
• Conduct or circumstances demonstrating an abuse of a position of trust
• Intentional, willful, or blatant disregard for NCAA bylaws.

Why Harbaugh’s Level 1 violation is ‘aggravated’

Here are the three reasons given for why Harbaugh’s Level 1 violation is considered “aggravated”:

• Responsible for multiple Level 1 and/or Level 2 violations.
• Failing or refusing to take all appropriate steps to advance resolution of the matter.
• Pattern of noncompliance within the involved program.

Why Robinson’s Level 1 violation is ‘aggravated’

Here are the four reasons given for why Robinson’s Level 1 violation is considered “aggravated”:

• Responsible for multiple Level 1 and/or Level 2 violations.
• Failing or refusing to take all appropriate steps to advance resolution of the matter.
• Authority figure condoned, participated in or negligently disregarded the violation or related wrongful conduct.
• Intentional, willful, or blatant disregard for NCAA bylaws.

Repeat offenders

During its summary of punishment from the case, the report identifies Michigan, Harbaugh, and Moore as repeat offenders.

“In his NOA response, Moore acknowledged his repeat violator status,” it says. “However, he also argued that his status did not warrant an upward departure in penalties, largely due to his limited role in Michigan’s previous case.”

College football changes factored into penalties

The committee acknowledged in the report that massive changes to the college football landscape played a role in their punishment decision.

“Aligning penalties with the current landscape required deviating in some areas -- namely, postseason ban and scholarship reductions,” it says. “Importantly, the fact that the current landscape of college athletics has evolved faster than potential changes to the Figure 19-1 Penalty Guidelines does not absolve Michigan from required core penalties.”

So the panel tried to come up with appropriate equivalent penalties when punishments that were outlined in the previous college football landscape were warranted.

Most notably, a possible postseason ban and scholarship reductions were changed to fines.

‘A postseason ban is required in this case’

The report says that because Michigan’s case rose to Level 1 -- aggravated status, “a postseason ban is required,” especially as a repeat offender.

“Given those facts, a multi-year postseason ban would be appropriate,” the report says. “That said, the NCAA Constitution states, ‘Division and, as appropriate, conference regulations must ensure to the greatest extent possible that penalties imposed for infractions do not punish programs and student-athletes not involved nor implicated in the infractions.’”

In other words, a postseason ban would only hurt Michigan’s current players and staff members, most of whom were not involved in the rule-breaking.

So instead, Michigan got a massive financial penalty.

Roster limits

Now that “scholarship spots” aren’t really relevant in college sports, the NCAA report says roster spots could be taken away as a form of punishment in the future.

But since that decision hasn’t yet been made, the panel didn’t want to impose those types of penalties in this case.

Probation

Michigan football received four years of probation, from April 10, 2027, through April 9, 2031.

Financial punishment

Michigan’s financial penalty is split into three parts:

1. A core penalty of $50,000 plus 10% of the budget for the football program.
2. A fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing from the 2025-26 and 2026-27 football seasons. This is estimated via many reports to be more than $20 million.
3. A fine equivalent to the cost of 10% of the football scholarships awarded for the 2025-26 academic year.

Recruiting restrictions

Michigan got two recruiting-related penalties:

1. A 25% reduction in official visits during the 2025-26 season.
2. Michigan will prohibit recruiting communication in the football program for a period of 14 weeks across the term of probation.

Connor Stalions show-cause penalty

The eight-year show-cause penalty for Stalions is from Aug. 15, 2025, through Aug. 14, 2033.

During that time, any institution that wants to hire Stalions will have to restrict him from all athletic activities.

If Stalions is hired in an athletics-related position at an NCAA institution during his show-cause period, he’ll be suspended from 100% of the first season of his employment.

“Because the show-cause order restricts Stalions from all athletically related activity, the suspension is subsumed within the show-cause order,” the report reads. “The provisions of this suspension require that Stalions not be present in the facility where the contests are played and have no contact or communication with football coaching staff members or student-athletes during the suspension period. The prohibition includes all coaching activities for the period of time that begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day of the first contest and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the last contest. During that period, Stalions may not participate in any coaching activities, including but not limited to team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings. The results of those contests from which Stalions is suspended shall not count toward his career coaching record.”

Why Stalions got maximum penalty

The report says that typical punishment for Stalions’ Level 1 -- aggravated violation typically result in a show-cause of 6-8 years.

Here’s why he got the full eight years:

• “The panel recognizes his role as the mastermind behind the impermissible scouting scheme.”
• Stalions’ expertise in the area of signal deciphering allowed him to act with authority over interns and student-athletes and involve them in violations.
• Stalions’ multiple instances of failing to cooperate went to lengths seldom seen by the COI.
• His conduct significantly hindered this case’s resolution. Most alarmingly, this included Stalions’ admitted destruction of his personal cell phone and a hard drive containing “dirty film.”
• Stalions’ failures were not limited to mere destruction of evidence. Rather, his disregard for the cooperative obligations of the NCAA’s infractions process touched on nearly every provision in Bylaw 19.1.2

Jim Harbaugh show-cause penalty

The 10-year show-cause penalty for Harbaugh begins Aug. 7, 2028, after his current show-cause for unrelated violations ends. It will last through Aug. 6, 2038.

If Harbaugh is hired during that 10-year window, he must be restricted from all athletic activities.

If Harbaugh is hired by an NCAA institution during his show-cause period, he will be suspended from 100% of the first season.

That comes with the same conditions outlined in the above section about Stalions’ show-cause.

Denard Robinson’s show-cause penalty

The same penalties and suspension guidelines apply for Robinson during his three-year show-cause.

His began Aug. 15, 2025, and lasts until Aug. 14, 2028.

Sherrone Moore’s show-cause penalty

Moore received a two-year show-cause order from Aug. 15, 2025, through Aug. 14, 2027.

During that time, he must attend the NCAA Regional Rules Seminar at his own expense each year.

Sherrone Moore suspension

In addition to the two-game suspension U of M gave Moore for the Central Michigan and Nebraska games this season, he received a one-game suspension from the NCAA for the first game of 2026.

Michigan is playing Western Michigan in Germany in that game.

Moore can’t be in the stadium or have contact with football staffers or players from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Sept. 5, 2026.

“During that period, Moore may not participate in any coaching activities, including but not limited to team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings,” the report reads. “The results of those contests from which Moore is suspended shall not count toward his career coaching record.”

Public reprimand

Michigan also received a public reprimand.

“(Additional penalties include a) public reprimand and censure through the release of the public infractions decision,” the report says.

Full list of punishments

Here is the full list of punishments for Michigan, Sherrone Moore, and three former staff members:

Michigan football program:

• Four years of probation.
• A $50,000 fine, plus 10%of the budget for the football program.
• A fine equal to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing from the 2025 and 2026 seasons (likely more than $20 million, per reports).
• A fine equal to the cost of 10% of the scholarships awarded to Michigan’s football program for the 2025-26 academic year.
• A 25% reduction in football official visits during the 2025-26 season.
• A 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications in the football program during the probation period.

Sherrone Moore:

• A two-year show cause order.
• He is suspended from a total of three games. This includes the self-imposed suspension for the Central Michigan and Nebraska games in 2025 and includes the first game of 2026, which is against Western Michigan in Germany.
  • Apart from the three-game suspension, Moore can coach and engage in other athletic-related activities during his show-cause period.

Jim Harbaugh:

• A 10-year show-cause order that restricts him from all athletically related activities during that period, which begins on Aug. 7, 2028 (when his current show-cause from a previous case ends).

Connor Stalions:

• An eight-year show-cause order restricting him from all athletically related activities.

Denard Robinson:

• A three-year show-cause order restricting him from all athletically related activities.

Jesse Minter punishment

Minter reached an agreement on his punishment. He got a one-year show-cause order for a Level 2 -- mitigated violation.

His show cause is from Dec. 16, 2024, through Dec. 15, 2025.

Any institution that hires Minter during that period has to restrict him from athletic activities.

He also got a public reprimand.

Steve Clinkscale punishment

Clinkscale also reached an agreement on his punishment. He got a two-year show-cause for a Level 2 -- aggravated violation.

Any institution that hires Clinkscale had to restrict him from athletic activities. If he’s hired to an athletics-related role, he has to be suspended from 50% of all football regular-season games during his first year.

“The provisions of this suspension apply to all athletically related duties and require that Clinkscale not be present with or have contact or communication with football coaching staff members or student-athletes during the suspension period,” the report reads. “The suspension begins on the date of the first scheduled contest of the regular season. The prohibition includes all athletically related activities for the suspension period that begins at 12:01 a.m. on the day of the first contest and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the last contest. During the suspension period, Clinkscale may not participate in any coaching activities, including, but not limited to, team travel, practice, video study, recruiting and team meetings.”

He also got a public reprimand.