Michigan coach Sherrone Moore is currently under scrutiny for allegedly breaking NCAA rules concerning an investigation into impermissible scouting and sign-stealing during last season’s national championship campaign. According to sources briefed on the matter, Moore is accused of deleting text messages from Connor Stalions, a former low-level recruiting staffer involved in an off-campus scouting operation. The NCAA has recommended a Level 2 violation for Moore, with the ability to recover the deleted messages.
ESPN reported obtaining a draft of the notice of allegations, stressing that the final version sent to Michigan may differ. Moore, who took over as head coach after Jim Harbaugh departed for the San Diego Chargers, temporarily served as acting head coach during Harbaugh’s suspensions last season, emerging victorious in all four games, including a crucial match against Ohio State.
Harbaugh has disavowed any knowledge of impermissible scouting during his tenure at the program, although there is a possibility of him facing Level I violations. The NCAA previously suspended Harbaugh for three games due to a violation of the conference’s sportsmanship policy linked to the sign-stealing scandal.
The NCAA prohibits in-person scouting, prompting scrutiny of Michigan’s scouting system to determine its organization and who was aware of it. Stalions was placed on leave by the school before resigning. Stalions will be featured in a Netflix documentary, “Sign Stealer,” premiering on August 27, shedding light on the scandal.
This is not Michigan’s first brush with NCAA violations, having faced allegations of impermissible recruiting activities last December. The school self-imposed suspensions on Harbaugh and Moore, with the case ultimately settling in April with three years of probation. Harbaugh reportedly refused to admit unethical conduct during NCAA investigations, prolonging the resolution of the case, which could take several more months to conclude.
Following NCAA policy, the school has 90 days to respond to the notice of allegations, and a hearing with the NCAA’s committee on infractions is anticipated thereafter, though a negotiated settlement remains a possibility.
