It was a long time coming: Sherrone Moore, Michigan, Connor Stalions, Jim Harbaugh, and several others in Michigan were embroiled in the infamous sign-stealing controversy. And no major decision was being taken by the NCAA, except self-imposed game bans on Jim Harbaugh, along with Connor Stalions being fired for his alleged wrongdoings. Still, something concrete was needed, and that was the wider discourse in the footballing circles. And now? The NCAA decision has finally come.

According to a report by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA has handed several penalties to Michigan that include numerous things, from 4 years’ probation to $20 million fine. “The NCAA levies against Michigan coach Sherrone Moore a 2-year show-case order and a three-game suspension: his self-imposed two-game suspension, and he is suspended for *the first game of the 2026 season,” reported Ross Dellenger on X. In a follow-up post, he expanded further on the various penalties Michigan will face.

These new penalties include a 4-year probation period for Michigan, $50k fine with 10% of the team’s budget, and a 25% reduction in official football visits. Not just that, but the team also faces 14 weeks of prohibition on recruiting communications during the probation period. Adding to that, Jim Harbaugh has been handed a 10-year show-cause notice order, restricting him from all athletic activities in college football. Now, the decision for Sherrone Moore is quite interesting.

Sherrone Moore has been handed a two-year show-cause order suspending him from three games in that period, effectively making Michigan’s self-imposed two-game suspension for Moore a reality now. Apart from those two games against Central Michigan and Nebraska in 2025, Moore is expected to miss the Western Michigan game in the 2026 season (per Pete Nakos). Moreover, Moore is not prohibited from engaging in regular college football activities and can be involved in other athletic-related activities during the probation. What does this mean, then?

The decision signifies the expected lenient stance towards Sherrone Moore, as many were calling for a postseason ban for Moore and Michigan. However, the NCAA has released a statement regarding the reasoning behind not considering a postseason ban. “The panel determined that a postseason ban would unfairly penalize student-athletes for the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer associated with the Michigan football program,” reported ON3. Now, how will all of this affect Michigan?

While a $50,000 fine may seem trivial for Michigan but the fines being levied also propose a 10% of the football team’s budget. This would mean Michigan is expected to lose $5-$6 million over the penalty period. But the NCAA has also proposed, “A fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of all postseason competition revenue sharing associated with the 2025 and 2026 football seasons.” And for Michigan, this would be quite huge.

For a team like Michigan, that competes regularly in playoffs, the loss over two years would hover around $10-12 million per year, making it around $20-24 million for two years. Now, adding that $24 million and the $5-6 million from the 10% of the revenue deduction, the total loss for two years would roughly come to around $30 million. The effect? This has the potential to strip away Michigan’s ability to compete with other programs like Ohio State, effectively making them a bottom-rung program in this period. Moreover, there are other crucial points too that the NCAA has raised, along with a less talked-about entity that has emerged.

A new entity emerges after the NCAA’s decision in the Michigan sign-stealing scandal

While much has been talked about Connor Stalions, who had been accused of stealing signs by attending various opponents’ games in person. One such instance came to light when he was reportedly seen on Central Michigan’s sideline before Michigan was set to face them in 2023, raising questions about the result of the game in which Michigan won by a landslide. Now, while the Stalions’ role was much visible, the NCAA has also directed punishments to one other entity apart from Harbaugh and Moore.

“In its sign-stealing decision, the NCAA infractions committee is sanctioning former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh with a show-cause of 10 years and Connor Stalions with a show-cause of 8 years, sources tell Yahoo Sports,” wrote Dellenger on his X account. But apart from Stalions and Harbaugh, the NCAA has also directed a three-year show-cause order to Michigan’s former quarterback and Assistant Director of Player Personnel in 2023, Denard Robinson.

The order effectively restricts Robinson from all athletically related activities during the period, making him the fourth person to have been acknowledged by the NCAA for his role in the sign-stealing scandal. All in all, many may view the NCAA’s decision being lenient, or some may even consider it strict, considering the financial downsides involved. But one thing is clear: it seems Tony Petitti’s letter may have done its job for Sherrone Moore, and the head coach ultimately dodged a major bullet in what could have been a full postseason ban.