ZWF: Michigan's cheating scandal seems pretty bad
Zander's Weekend Facts #90: Sunday, October 29, 2023
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, what you need to know about the Michigan football scandal, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts podcast! Episode 121 features a preview of the NBA season with Zander’s Facts NBA analyst Hill Billy. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, October 29, 2023:
Michigan football’s sign-stealing snafu
Normally, it wouldn’t make the headlines when a college football team steals the other team’s signals… because it happens all the time.
Unlike in the NFL, college football coaches don’t have the ability to communicate with their players through helmet technology. That means that typically, teams have coaches show the players on the field signals from the sideline to call a play, and you can probably guess who else sees the signals as well.
Sign stealing in and of itself isn’t necessarily illegal in college football. As many coaches and former players have clarified over the last few days, it’s pretty much a formality at this point that the opposing team is trying to figure out your signals during the game.
ESPN told the story of former Auburn player and equipment staff member Jamie Grant who was told to “keep his eyes and ears open” while being a ball boy on the opposing team’s sideline.
Former Washington State head coach Mike Leach decided to have a little fun with former Arizona State head coach Todd Graham after Leach accused Graham of stealing his team’s signs back in 2016:
Now is it unethical? You could probably say that.
But what the University of Michigan’s football program is currently being accused of goes way beyond ordinary sign stealing.
The NCAA notified the program on October 19 that it was under investigation for allegedly scouting future opponents in person. The day before, the Big Ten Conference and Michigan State University, Michigan’s opponent that week, had been notified with Michigan State reportedly contemplating not even playing the game.
The only instances in which sign stealing is prohibited by the NCAA is if in-game electronic communication is intercepted or if scouting future opponents in-person and off-campus.
Much more information has been reported about exactly what the Michigan football program has been involved with in the days since.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that Connor Stalions, an off-field analyst for the football team, is at the center of the investigation after buying tickets to games of potential Michigan opponents last season. Sources said that Stalions had bought tickets to games at four schools that were in contention for the College Football Playoff, along with 12 other Big Ten schools having a record of Stalions purchasing a ticket for a game. According to sources, records showed that Stalions had also purchased a ticket to the 2021 and 2022 SEC Championship games.
Stalions had been suspended with pay by the school shortly after a separate ESPN report published a few days beforehand that revealed Stallions was a main suspect in the investigation.
ESPN found that Stalions had purchased tickets to at least 35 different games at 17 stadiums. Stalions had three other individuals who went to some of the games, forwarding them the tickets he had purchased.
A Sports Illustrated article released on Wednesday revealed text messages Stalions had sent in 2021 bragging about the sign stealing operation while also saying he had become close with several coaches on the team. Stalions claimed he was part of a small group of people, some of whom were members of the coaching staffs of different college football programs, who were working on a long-term plan for the Michigan football program dubbed “the Michigan Manifesto.”
This piece of information, “some of whom were members of the coaching staffs of different college football programs,” has the potential to implicate programs beyond Michigan’s. The rumor mills have already started, with some bringing up the theory that Stallions had recorded Tennessee and Clemson’s signs last year and sent that information to South Carolina (who beat both teams last season.)
Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh has denied he knew anything about the sign stealing operation.
Now, this isn’t the first time a major college football program has been accused of illegal sign stealing. Notably, Clemson and then-defensive coordinator Brent Venables were at the center of a 2019 accusation regarding their National Championship opponent LSU. From the previously mentioned ESPN article:
When LSU played Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff, sources said the staff suspected Clemson of sending people to scout them in the SEC championship game and Peach Bowl, an assertion a Clemson spokesperson said the program categorically denies. Brent Venables, then Clemson's defensive coordinator, has long been the focal point of sign-stealing speculation, according to multiple sources, though no one has publicly accused him of anything illegal. After LSU's first three offensive drives ended with three punts and one first down, sources said a frustrated coach Ed Orgeron told offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger, "Change it up." Upon changing signals, LSU scored touchdowns on five of its next six drives.
However, nothing came out of that accusation. And the Michigan investigation did not originate with the NCAA. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that it was an outside investigative firm that began the investigation and then shared information with the NCAA.
In a season where the Wolverines are 8-0, second in the AP Top 25 poll, and one of the favorites for the program’s first National Championship since 1997, it has unfortunately been mired in controversy. However, if these allegations turn out to be true (which seems likely) there absolutely needs to be serious repercussions for those involved.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from CBS Sports - Michigan football sign-stealing scandal: News updates as evidence mounts in alleged cheating investigation
What Zander’s been reading
It’s Halloweekend! As you probably know, the Halloween candy you’ll be munching on over the next few days isn’t exactly healthy. However, some candies are definitely better than others. Find out what the healthiest Halloween candy is in this week’s featured article:
Check out this week’s featured article at USA Today - Is there 'healthy' candy for Halloween? Don't get tricked by these other treats - (Apple News link)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Week 8: We’re nearly halfway through the NFL season, with all 32 teams in action this weekend. Highlighting the 1:00 pm et window later today is the Cowboys hosting the Rams, a New York battle between the Giants and the Jets, and the Eagles taking on the Commanders. At 4:00 pm et, the Browns face the Steelers, the Broncos host the Chiefs, and the Bengals take on the 49ers. At 8:20 pm et, the Bears and Chargers play with each team looking for their third win. Then on Monday night, the Raiders head to Detroit to take on the Lions. To start week eight on Thursday night, the Bills held off the Buccaneers 24-18.
College Football Week 9: For the first time since 2008, Kansas took down an AP-ranked top-ten team by beating #6 Oklahoma at home 38-33 on Saturday. Elsewhere in the college football world during week nine, #10 Penn State held on against Indiana 33-24, #1 Georgia took down rival Florida 43-20, and #8 Oregon beat up #13 Utah 35-6. #24 USC came back in the fourth quarter to score a 50-49 win over California, #23 UCLA took down Colorado 28-16, and #18 Louisville shut out #20 Duke 23-0. Plus, #3 Ohio State held on against Wisconsin 24-10, #5 Washington broke through Stanford 42-33, and #19 Air Force survived a snowy upset bid from Colorado State 30-13.
MLB World Series: The 2023 MLB World Series is all level through two games between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers. In Friday night’s Game 1, Rangers right fielder Adolis García hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to beat the Diamondbacks 6-5. However, Saturday’s Game 2 saw Arizona roll to a 9-1 takedown of Texas. While the first two games of the series were in Arlington, Texas, the series shifts to Phoenix, Arizona for Games 3-5 beginning on Monday. All games in the World Series will start at 8:07 pm et and air on Fox.
MLS Cup Playoffs: The 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs got underway last week in the first year of a new format featuring 18 of the league’s 29 clubs. In a Wild Card match to determine who will advance to the First Round, New York Red Bulls took down Charlotte FC 5-2 in the East and Sporting Kansas City advanced on penalties against San Jose Earthquakes in the West. The First Round got underway yesterday as the four matchups in each conference will be best-of-three series. The first club to two wins in each series advances to the one match Conference Semifinal, followed by the Conference Final and MLS Cup on December 9. All MLS Cup Playoff matches will be available on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with select matches airing on Fox and FS1.
Army to AAC: After losing Southern Methodist University to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the American Athletic Conference has announced the Mustang’s replacement. On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Army will join the AAC next year as a football-only member. Army joins its arch-rival Navy in the American, while their annual matchup for the Commander-in-Chief trophy is expected to still take place on the second weekend of December as a non-conference matchup. The Black Knights football program has been independent from any conference since leaving Conference USA in 2004. Army’s remaining athletic programs will continue to compete in the Patriot League.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
House Speaker: Republicans in the House of Representatives finally rallied around a candidate for Speaker of the House, electing Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) to the position on Wednesday. Before Johnson had been elected, the House had been without a Speaker for 22 days since Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted. Johnson, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, previously voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and took the lead in filing a lawsuit attempting to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory which was thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court. The House must now act quickly on a measure to fund the government, with funding set to run out on November 17.
Maine Mass Shooting: 18 people were killed and 13 were injured after a mass shooting took place in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday. The suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, was found dead on Friday in a trailer in a parking lot near the Maine Recycling Corporation in Lisbon. The shooting marks the 36th time this year that at least four people have been killed in a mass shooting event in the United States. The two-day manhunt for the suspect left many communities in southern Maine shut down after the worst mass killing in state history.
Auto Workers Strike: The United Auto Workers union agreed to end their strike against two automakers last week. UAW leaders announced deals with both Ford and Stellantis that still must be ratified by members of the union. The union’s deal with Ford reportedly includes pay increases of 25% throughout the four-and-a-half-year agreement, including an 11% initial bump. Ford claimed on Thursday that the strike had cost the company $1.3 billion in lost production. UAW leaders claimed on Saturday that as part of the Stellantis deal, the automaker will reopen a factory in Belvidere, Illinois that had been idled for eight months. The union has not announced a deal with General Motors, who has said the strike has cost the company $800 million.
Israel-Hamas War: The conflict between Israel and Hamas continues as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the country’s military has opened a “second stage” in the war. Israel expanded its ground attacks in Gaza on Saturday as nearly all communication has been cut off for the 2.3 million people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. At least 229 hostages were taken by Hamas from Israel into Gaza with only four having been released. Since the Hamas attacks earlier this month left over 1,400 people dead in Israel, over 7,700 people have now died in Palestine, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Hurricane Otis: The rapid intensification of Hurricane Otis in the eastern Pacific Ocean last week brought devastation to the Mexican resort town of Acapulco. Otis’ wind speeds climbed 115 mph in a single day in the run-up to landfall, which it made on Wednesday as a Category 5 hurricane. With peak winds of 165 mph, Otis became the strongest Pacific hurricane on record to make landfall. The storm left at least 39 people killed with at least 10 others missing. No forecast models predicted the storm’s sudden strengthening, which left many with little time to prepare or evacuate.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, November 5, 2023.
