Michigan football suspends analyst Connor Stalions amid NCAA investigation of Wolverines
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced Michigan football off-field analyst Connor Stalions was suspended with pay pending the NCAA investigation into allegations the Wolverines were scouting opponents in person, a violation of NCAA rules.
Stalions is reportedly one of the top people of interest in the NCAA investigation. He was hired by Michigan in May 2022 as an off-field analyst, according to his now-deleted LinkedIn. Investigators sought access to his computer for evidence of sign-stealing, according to ESPN.
Stalions attended the Naval Academy from 2013-16 and assisted with the Midshipmen football team. He was stationed at a military base in California from 2015-22, while at the same time serving as a voluntary assistant for Michigan, he wrote. He flew across the country during football season with his own money to assist the defensive coaching staff, according to ESPN, before joining in a full-time role.
He wrote on his LinkedIn that his skills for his job with Michigan included "identifying the opponent's most likely course of action and most dangerous course of action" and "identifying and exploiting critical vulnerabilities and centers of gravity in the opponent scouting process," ESPN's article states.
OPINION:Harbaugh popped again for alleged cheating. It's time to drop the self-righteous act.
The NCAA is investigating claims that Michigan sent scouts to future opponents' games to pick up coaching signals in-person. The NCAA does not have a law explicitly banning stealing signals, but it banned in-person scouting in 1994.
If the NCAA finds the allegations to be true, Michigan would have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states: "Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited."