The Ohio State football program had to play in at least two games in which Michigan was engaged in illegal advanced scouting operations. Connor Stalions was the ringleader of those operations, and Michigan has tried to claim that he was a rogue agent.
Jim Harbaugh claimed he had no knowledge of the scheme. The NCAA didn't buy that, and essentially made it impossible for him to ever coach college football again. Sherrone Moore also tried to claim innocence from the scheme, but the NCAA didn't buy it either.
Both the university and Moore had appealed the ruling from the NCAA in protest of their innocence. Moore has already served two games of a three-game suspension handed down by the NCAA. Now, it seems that both of them have finally admitted guilt, as they have withdrawn their appeals.
Sherrone Moore seemingly admits guilt after recanting his appeal in Connor Stalions case
According to the NCAA, Moore has decided to no longer appeal this case. That means he's finally accepting responsibility for his role in the scandal. Fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes have decried the slap on the wrist that the NCAA gave to TTUN, so it was wild that Moore was appealing in the first place.
TTUN is also accepting the $35 million fine that the NCAA levied on them. This finally means that the university is getting rid of the sham that they believe they were innocent. This decision by the university reinforces their guilt and shows that the 2023 national championship season will forever have an asterisk.
Some Michigan fans are starting to turn on Moore after the Wolverines have already dropped two games this season. The rest of their schedule is pretty light, but the Buckeyes will be favored to plow over them in the final game of the season. If that happens, things will get ugly.
Ryan Day will want to put TTUN in the dirt at the end of the season, so he might try to put 50 on Moore. Winning that game would finally put a great deal of weight off of Day's back and get them ready to have another historic run in the College Football Playoff.