Connor Stalions threw phone in pond to avoid NCAA investigation

The NCAA found “overwhelming evidence” of an impermissible scouting scheme by Michigan football.Former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions admitted to throwing his phone and hard drive into a pond.The NCAA stated it may never know the full extent of the scheme or Jim Harbaugh’s knowledge of it.

The Michigan football sign-stealing saga appears to finally be coming to an end after nearly two years, but with what was learned from the NCAA’s investigation, we’ll probably be talking about it for years to come.

The NCAA released its full findings in a 74-page report on Friday, Aug. 15, and deemed there was “overwhelming evidence” to show Michigan had conducted an impermissible scouting scheme.

Also in the report were some shocking details about just how deep the NCAA said this scandal went.

Here are some details that really stuck out from the new NCAA report:

Connor Stalions admitted to throwing his phone in pond

The buzz: While it doesn’t technically prove anything, the optics of throwing something into a pond to get rid of it before it can be inspected are terrible. And the NCAA says that was just the start of it, as Stalions’ cooperation was “some of the worst the COI has ever seen.” 

SHAWN WINDSOR: NCAA confirmed what many suspected: Michigan operated like ‘KGB’

We’ll never know what Jim Harbaugh knew

The buzz: Unless something drastically changes and Harbaugh decides to open up, we’ll never know what the former coach really knew about the sign-stealing scandal. The NCAA admits there’s no specific evidence that the ex-coach knew of the scheme, but there was a big caveat: “Mr. Stalions said that he destroyed his phone and threw it in a pond along with a hard drive and threw it in a pond, so we may never know the full extent to which others in the program were aware of what Mr. Stalions was doing.”

Connor Stalions called his spy network the ‘KGB’

The buzz: A nod to the former Russian state security and intelligence agency, this one doesn’t need too much explaining.

NCAA says Michigan’s was trying ‘to gain a competitive advantage’ with scheme

The buzz: While the scope of Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme “may never be known,” the NCAA is clear about one thing: “Regardless of whether it was Stalions or someone acting on his behalf, their physical presence at the game essentially gave them front-row seats to a key element of opponents’ offensive and defensive strategies.” 

Connor Stalions spent $35,000 on tickets in one season

The buzz: Perhaps the biggest question still unanswered is where the money came from for this program. The NCAA says Stalions admitted he spent $35,000 on tickets alone in just the 2022 season. So where did he get the money for it, and how much was spent in total?

NCAA: Jim Harbaugh viewed Michigan compliance office as ‘scum of the Earth’

The buzz: Harbaugh “did not embrace or enforce a culture of compliance during his tenure,” which the NCAA says led “coaches and staff to disregard NCAA rules.” When speaking with the media on a call after the ruling came down, Norman Bay, the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions chair, said Michigan’s compliance office was “viewed as ‘a thorn in (Harbaugh’s) side,’ ‘a roadblock’ and described as ‘scum of the Earth.'”

Connor Stalions was on sideline for Central Michigan vs Michigan State

The buzz: The NCAA says Stalions was on the sideline for the Central Michigan-Michigan State game in East Lansing, with Stalions admitting to attending one game in-person. According to interviewstatements by a former football staff member, Stalions attended in part to decipherMSU’s signals, but also to help a CMU staffer with play calling.

Stalions believed his attendance at the game should be designated as a Level III violation. The panel disagreed and deemed it a Level 1 violation, the most serious as a threat to the integrity of college football. “In total, 56 instances of off-campus, in-person scouting of 13 future regular-season opponents occurred across 52 contests.”

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Andrew Birkle is an assistant sports editor for the Free Press. Contact him at abirkle@freepress.com or on “X” at andrew_birkle.