On Sunday, the Michigan Wolverines football program received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA regarding a sign-stealing scandal that emerged last fall, prior to the team’s national championship win.
A team spokesperson confirmed the development to the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press, both part of the USA TODAY Network. The Free Press reports that seven Michigan staff members from the 2023 team, including first-year coach Sherrone Moore, are named in the allegations for purportedly breaching NCAA rules.
The Wolverines now have 90 days to submit a written response to the Notice of Allegations, after which the NCAA will have 60 days to reply. The NCAA will then decide whether a hearing before the Committee on Infractions is needed.
Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions is accused of purchasing tickets to games involving Michigan’s conference rivals and potential future College Football Playoff opponents to conduct sign-stealing and scouting.
According to ESPN, an early draft of the NOA, obtained in early August, suggests that Moore might face suspension and a show-cause penalty for allegedly deleting a chain of 52 text messages with Stalions on the day the sign-stealing scandal became public. This draft is still preliminary and may change.
ESPN also notes that the draft implies Moore could be charged with a Level 2 violation for the message deletion, which was later retrieved through “device imaging.”
Moore might also be seen as a repeat offender, given that the NCAA resolved another investigation into the football program in April related to recruiting violations during the 2021 COVID-19 dead period.