The NCAA sent a notice of allegations to Central Michigan on June 27 related to the incident when a man who appeared to be former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions was spotted on the sideline for the Chippewas during a game against Michigan State.
Stalions has been at the center of the Michigan sign-stealing scandal since it was uncovered in the middle of the 2023 season. He has denied multiple times being on the sideline during that game, but the NCAA investigated the matter.
The investigation began on Oct. 31, 2023, and now that the notice has been received by Central Michigan, the program has until Sept. 25 to formally respond.
Former Central Michigan head coach Jim McElwain, a former wide receivers coach for the Wolverines, resigned after the 2024 season and claimed to be unaware of Stalions being on the sideline. The Chippewas also had former Michigan student assistant Jake Kostner on staff, who was with the Wolverines from 2015-18 and worked with Stalions.
The university made a statement in November 2024 when the Netflix documentary “Untold: Sign Stealer” was released.
“We are aware of inferences made in the new Netflix documentary regarding former University of Michigan football staff member Connor Stalions accessing the CMU sidelines during our opening game last September,” it read. “For the past 10 months, CMU has fully cooperated with the NCAA’s ongoing investigation, and we will continue to cooperate with the NCAA as it works to complete its investigation.”
Michigan’s case is still ongoing after the NCAA Committee of Infractions hearing that occurred June 6 and 7. Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore is currently expected to serve a two-game suspension during Weeks 3 and 4 of the season in games against Central Michigan and Nebraska, respectively. Further punishments decided by the committee are expected to be announced before the 2025 season begins.
Photo via Paul Sancya/AP
