Michigan Football Program Hit with $20 Million Fine, Coach Sherrone Moore Suspended in NCAA Sign-Stealing Scandal

The University of Michigan’s football program has been hit with a substantial fine and its current head coach, Sherrone Moore, faces additional suspension as part of an extensive investigation into a sign-stealing scandal involving former staff member Connor Stalions. The NCAA announced the penalties on Friday, stating that the majority of the sanctions were due to an “illegal scouting scheme” orchestrated by Stalions while he was a member of Jim Harbaugh’s coaching staff.

Stalions has been handed an 8-year show-cause order, prohibiting him from participating in any athletically related activities during that period. Harbaugh, who is now leading the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, received a 10-year show-cause order in connection with the sign-stealing case. This penalty will take effect on August 7, 2028, following the completion of a separate 4-year show-cause order stemming from a different recruiting violation that was closed by the NCAA last year.

According to the NCAA’s statement, the program under Harbaugh committed violations including off-campus, in-person scouting of opponents, impermissible recruiting inducements and communications, failure to cooperate, and insufficient monitoring. The investigation found that over three seasons, Stalions directed individuals to conduct illegal on-field scouting of Michigan’s future opponents, which was then used to decipher the opponents’ signals.

The NCAA reported that Stalions spent significant resources on this scheme, including nearly $35,000 on tickets in 2022. The investigation uncovered 56 instances of off-campus, in-person scouting of 13 future opponents.

Current head coach Moore, who was an assistant coach under Harbaugh at the time, has been given a two-year show-cause order and a three-game ban. Michigan had previously suspended Moore for two games during the upcoming season, with the NCAA now adding another suspension that will be served in the first game of the 2026-27 season.

Moore’s penalty was issued due to a “failure to cooperate violation,” as he deleted relevant text messages from his personal and school-issued phones during the investigation. Stalions also failed to cooperate with the investigation, directing an intern to delete emails, texts, photos, and videos related to the scheme and admitting to destroying evidence by throwing a phone into a pond.

Sources report that the fine, considering Big Ten Conference revenues and projections, will exceed $20 million.

Sign-stealing, while not explicitly prohibited under NCAA rules, is generally considered unethical and illegal when in-person scouting or electronic communication is involved. NCAA bylaw 11.6.1 states that off-campus, in-person scouting of opponents during the same season is prohibited.

In 2023, Harbaugh was suspended for three games at the start of the season due to allegations of recruiting violations, leading to a separate investigation by the NCAA. Stalions resigned in October 2023 following the sign-stealing investigation, and linebackers coach Chris Partridge was subsequently fired. Partridge stated that he was dismissed because of his failure “to abide by the University directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation with anyone associated with the Michigan Football program.”

Partridge maintained in a public statement that he had no knowledge of any illegal sign-stealing or scouting activities and did not destroy any evidence related to the ongoing investigation. Harbaugh consistently denied any involvement in the scheme to steal opponents’ signs.

Michigan went on to win the national championship over the Washington Huskies on January 8, 2024, marking their first title since the 1997 season. Days later, Harbaugh left to become the head coach of the Chargers. In August 2024, the NCAA announced that Harbaugh was hit with a 4-year show-cause penalty related to the recruiting case and would be suspended for one season if hired during the show-cause order.

The Wolverines will begin their season at home against New Mexico State on August 30, 2024.