Connor Stalions, the former Michigan football staffer who stepped down during a scandal last season, has broken his silence in a documentary on Netflix. In the film titled “Sign Stealer”, Stalions made his first public appearance two days after the NCAA sent a notice of allegations to the school regarding his actions. Stalions defended his role, stating that stealing signs is not against NCAA rules but admitted to being involved in advance scouting, which is prohibited by the governing body.
During a virtual meeting with NCAA investigators featured in the documentary, Stalions claimed he did not acquire signals through in-person scouting and denied attending a specific game when questioned. The film also showed Stalions dismissing similarities between himself and an individual captured in Central Michigan gear and sunglasses at a game versus Michigan State.
Despite the NCAA’s allegations that Stalions purchased tickets to games involving future opponents, Stalions maintained that he never directed individuals to record teams signaling plays and insisted that some ticket holders unsolicitedly sent him game footage. He also declared that he had memorized the signs and did not need videos sent to him.
Stalions shared insights in the documentary on how he decoded signs from rival teams by creating a database with thousands of images of signals. Before his time at Michigan, Stalions was a volunteer student coach at the Naval Academy, where sign stealing was part of his responsibilities. He joined the Wolverines’ football program as an analytics assistant in 2022 and resigned amidst the NCAA investigation in 2023.
Despite facing scrutiny, Stalions expressed that he was unfairly targeted and that his reputation was tarnished. The documentary also highlighted Stalions’ involvement in Michigan’s sign-stealing scheme and showed him emotional during the team’s national championship celebration last year.
Former coach Jim Harbaugh, now with the Los Angeles Chargers, denied any knowledge of impermissible scouting activities during his time at Michigan. Stalions recalled Harbaugh giving him a game ball for his role in deciphering signals after a win in 2022. Harbaugh was later suspended for three games in 2023 due to the misconduct surrounding the sign-stealing scandal.
Stalions, who currently volunteers as the defensive coordinator at Detroit Mumford High School, was not paid for his appearance in the documentary but received compensation for providing footage. The film was produced by SpringHill, owned by LeBron James and Maverick Carter, and directed by Micah Brown, who believes Stalions should have a future in football despite the controversies surrounding him. The documentary shed light on Stalions’ past and his role in the scandal that overshadowed Michigan’s success last season.
No. 9 Michigan is set to kick off its national championship defense against Fresno State on Saturday.
