Controversial Ex-Michigan Coach Sends Cryptic Message After Big Ten Makes Tampering Plea
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Earlier today, the Big 10 sent a ‘tampering moratorium’ letter to Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA. They’re telling the NCAA to hit the pause button on all their investigations into ‘tampering,’ which is when coaches illegally pursue players on other teams. The Big Ten argued that the current rules are outdated for today’s college football landscape. and want a timeout until everyone can agree on a fairer way to do things. However, for former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, this was irony at its finest.
Stalions, the face of the 2023–24 sign-stealing scandal, hopped onto X with a cryptic jab at Big’s 10 hypocrisy: “Hmm. I wonder why 🤔” he tweeted.
His cryptic post could be a jab at what many Michigan supporters see as a double standard. During the NCAA investigation of Michigan football’s sign-stealing scandal, the Big Ten was vocal about the need for “integrity” and “immediate consequences.” Connor Stalions was eventually presented with an 8-year show-cause notice, effectively barring him from college football till 2033. However, the tables seem to have turned on the conference now, which still wants to make use of recruitment loopholes to win in the recruitment arena.
Many also forget that, along with the sign-stealing saga, Michigan was investigated in 2023 for recruiting violations involving several football staff members and four prospects. The NCAA found that former co-defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale provided gear to a prospect and his family. And, he also lied during questioning. Former DC Jesse Minter was singled out for illegally reaching out to a sophomore prospect. Moreover, the Wolverines are known for incentive-heavy flipping, considering how QB Bryce Underwood flipped his commitment from LSU right before National Signing Day. He will be earning $12 million for playing four seasons as a Wolverine.
By insisting on this moratorium, the Big Ten is flexing its multi-billion-dollar muscles, essentially telling the NCAA that its enforcement arm is not welcome in their business. If the NCAA agrees to the pause, it marks a prodigious shift toward a professionalized, free-market version of college football where the old recruiting barriers are gone for good. However, the organization’s refired take on tampering might be the reason why the Big Ten has proposed such a shocking measure,
NCAA considering harsh punishments for tampering
Contrary to the NCAA’s reputation of having gone soft, the drama-filled last hours of the transfer portal pushed the organization to act. This time, it is going to be hard on those who have resorted to tampering. The NCAA has proposed a set of punishments for coaches and programs if they are found guilty in any future investigations into tampering. The only reason the coaches who have allegedly partaken in the act until now are saved is that the finalized rules will take into account cases that occurred from February 25, 2026, onwards.
Among them, the most serious one is levied on the head coach, who will be banned from all duties for six games during the season. Until now, no coach has been punished by the NCAA for tampering. But if the proposed sanctions pass the vote scheduled for April, all head coaches will have to think twice before they think of pursuing a student-athlete enrolled elsewhere. Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer wanted to turn up the heat here, by also calling for the guilty coach and athletic director to be sacked.
“They nutted up,” Meyer said of the NCAA on the Triple Option Podcast. The Big Ten has very much realized the gravity of the NCAA tightenting the belt, because it would change the status quo forever. That’s why, Connor Stalions couldn’t help but poke fun at the dilemma the conference is in.
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