Report: Michigan accuses NCAA of 'overreaching' in sign-stealing probe

Michigan is pushing back against some allegations made against the football program in the NCAA's investigation of the Wolverines' sign-stealing scandal.

The school has accused the NCAA of "grossly overreaching" and "wildly overcharging" without providing credible evidence that staff members of the football team had knowledge of an illegal in-person scouting system established by former staffer Connor Stalions, the school stated in a document obtained by Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

The NCAA issued 11 violations against the football program in its notice of allegations in a sign-stealing program during the 2023 season in which the Wolverines went on to win the national championship. Of the 11 infractions levied against the Wolverines, six were deemed Level I violations, the most serious charge the NCAA can assess to a member institution.

Michigan submitted a 137-page response that defended former head coach Jim Harbaugh and his successor, Sherrone Moore. The Wolverines contend that the sign-stealing system had minimal impact on the team's success and should be treated as a minor infraction.

Moore, who was Michigan's offensive coordinator in 2023 before being promoted to head coach after Harbaugh's departure in January 2024, is alleged to have deleted 52 text messages between himself and Stalions on the day the NCAA's probe into the program regarding sign-stealing became public in October 2023.

Michigan described the texts as "innocuous and not material to the investigation." Moore said he deleted the messages out of anger and frustration about the perception that Stalions would receive the credit for Michigan's success during its CFP title run.

The document also indicates that an unnamed source, who used to work at Michigan, was the whistleblower who helped the NCAA produce some of the charges against the school in the notice of allegations, Dellenger reported.

The dispute between Michigan and NCAA is expected to move forward to an NCAA Committee on Infractions hearing that will take place over the next several weeks.

A separate NCAA investigation found that Harbaugh and Moore were guilty of COVID-era recruiting violations. Michigan was placed on probation for three years, and Harbaugh was handed a four-year show-cause order after he accepted the head-coaching role with the Los Angeles Chargers.

A show-cause order means if any NCAA program hires Harbaugh during the four-year period, it would have to show cause as to why that program should not be disciplined.