According to a report, a “vast majority” of Big Ten coaches want commissioner Tony Petitti to punish Michigan State for the sign-stealing controversy.
The sentiment was expressed by the coaches during a conference call on Wednesday night, according to ESPN.
The coaches reportedly urged Petittii to act “right now.” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh was reportedly no longer on the line during the call.
“What are we waiting on? We know what happened.,” the coaches reportedly asked Petitti.
Michigan has been accused of sign-stealing, with Wolverine staffer Connor Stalions standing at the center of the accusations. The school has placed Stalions on paid suspension amid an investigation into his actions. Investigators claim that he has purchased a suspicious number of tickets to at least 35 Big Ten games over the past three years.
Some are also saying that he appears to be in a video of a CMU game on September 1.
A former Division III coach claims that he hired Stalions to take video of games at a number of Big Ten schools.
According to sources, the coaches used words such as “tainted,” “fraudulent,” and “unprecedented” to describe the controversy, blaming Michigan for the sign-stealing.
“People don’t understand the seriousness of it,” the source told ESPN. “How it truly impacted the game plan. To truly know if it’s a run or a pass, people don’t understand how much of an advantage that was for Michigan.”
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on before the game against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the College Football Playoff semifinal game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Ultimately, the source says Petittii did not make any commitments either way.
“I don’t think the Big Ten understood how upset everyone was,” the source added. “The tenor of the call was asking the Big Ten to show leadership — the conference and the presidents. An unprecedented violation of the rules would require unprecedented action from the Big Ten.”
The conference does have an option to invoke its Sportsmanship Policy to punish Michigan. However, there has been no indication of whether they utilize the policy.
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