Five months after the NCAA handed its Notice of Allegations (NOA) to Michigan for their illegal sign-stealing enterprise, we finally have a response from the Wolverines. Here are five things that caught my attention.
One of their own
The person who tipped off the NCAA to what was going on was an unnamed person who used to work for Michigan. Unlike what so many Michigan podcasters and message board trolls claimed, it was not Ryan Day and/or his brother.
The fact it was one of their own has left many in Wolverine Nation stunned because, like most conspiracy theories, they bought the Day and/or his brother is a fairy tale hook, line, and sinker. What is also amusing is that the university administration is demanding the NCAA name the whistleblower.
They claim the NCAA can only present evidence from a named source. As usual, this is so much saber-rattling by Michigan because the NCAA does not operate as a court of law-they doesn’t have to name a source.
A sympathetic ear
Yahoo! Sports obtained part of the response sent to the NCAA. This isn’t a surprise in the least. The writers at Yahoo! Have been VERY sympathetic to Michigan since the scandal broke. You can bet what was leaked from the report is only the parts that portray the university in the best light possible. This is a blatant attempt to stir up Wolverine fans and, also, sway national public opinion in their favor.
That’s the best he can come up with?
Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, who was their offensive coordinator at the time, deleted 52 text messages from scandal “mastermind” (I can’t say that with a straight face) Connor Stalions on the day the news broke. Moore’s explanation is he wasn’t trying to hide anything and was mad at Stalions for what he’d done.
When I worked in TV news, I remember one local judge who would peer over his glasses anytime a defendant would give him a ridiculous answer like Moore’s and say, “Mr. So-and-so, do you think I’m stupid?” Moore obviously thinks the NCAA is stupid enough to believe an explanation like that.
Say what?
Of all the things Michigan claims in their response, this might be my favorite. The university claims knowing an opponent’s signals did not give the Wolverines much of an advantage. This one is nearly mind-blowing.
At any level of football, if a player knows what his opponent is going to do each play on offense and defense, it gives a COLOSSAL advantage. There is no more bothering with pre-snap reads on offense. On defense, instead of reading keys, players simply fly to the ball. This claim is ludicrous.
Dancing and spinning
One thing that is very obvious is Michigan is dancing as fast as it can to put a spin on things to make their situation look not nearly as bad as it actually is. They are facing six Level I violations-the most serious tier of NCAA infractions.
When you add they have already been sanctioned for recruiting violations, they are very much at risk of being ruled as a repeat offender. Those six Level I charges carry a heavy punishment, but if repeat offender is added on, the NCAA is going to drop a sledgehammer on them.
Since Michigan is fighting the allegations and refusing to enter into a negotiated deal, there will be a hearing in front of the Division I Committee of Infractions sometime soon. We still have a way to go before this is resolved and sanctions are levied.