For nearly two years, the Connor Stalions saga has hovered over Michigan football. What started as a random sideline photo in September 2023 slowly turned into one of the strangest scandals the sport has seen. John Harbaugh’s assistant was penalized, and Stalions appealed the NCAA’s decision. Now, the governing body of college athletics has ruled on the appeal.

The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee has denied Connor Stalions’ appeal and “affirmed” the findings of violations and the application of aggravating factors tied to his case. The ruling locks in his eight-year show-cause penalty, officially classifying the matter as a “Level I-Aggravated case.”

The Committee on Infractions previously said that Stalions engaged in “impermissible scouting activities by directing and arranging for individuals to attend the games and film the signal callers of future University of Michigan football opponents” and that he “failed to cooperate in the investigation.” Stalions argued on appeal that the findings were from “procedural errors” and that the committee “misapplied the scouting bylaw.” He also marked six aggravating factors for review, but the committee wasn’t really buying it.

To understand how he got here, we need to look back at September 2023, when Stalions was spotted on Central Michigan’s sideline during a game against Michigan State, wearing CMU-issued coaching gear and holding a bench pass. At the time, it barely got noticed. Later, the NCAA report states that Stalions “personally engaged in in-person scouting” and attended the game “in part to decipher Michigan State’s signals.”

By October, the NCAA told the Big Ten it had “highly credible evidence of a wide-ranging, multi-year, in-person off-campus scouting scheme.” The then-Michigan head coach, John Harbaugh, denied any knowledge of the illegal sign stealing. But Stalions was suspended.

The Big Ten declared the “existence of the impermissible scheme is proven.” Michigan still went 15–0 and won a national championship. Harbaugh left for the NFL. Sherrone Moore served a part of his suspension. And now, the NCAA is affirming Stalions’ eight-year show-cause.

This is a developing story…

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