Michigan staffer Connor Stalions purchased tickets on both sides of Ohio Stadium for this past Saturday’s Penn State-Ohio State game, sources told ESPN.
ESPN reported that the tickets went unused.
Sources: Michigan staffer Connor Stalions bought tickets for more than 30 games at 11 Big Ten schools over the past three years. Also, video evidence of sideline taping is expected to be sent to the NCAA this week, caught by stadium surveillance this year. https://t.co/8wmMRppR7u
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 23, 2023
The day before PSU-OSU, Stalions’s name emerged in another ESPN story relating to the NCAA’s impeding investigation of Michigan for alleged sign stealing.
Michigan suspended Stalions without pay. ESPN’s Pete Thamel tweeted that, per sources, Stalions “bought tickets for more than 30 Big Ten games at 11 Big Ten schools over the past three years.”
“Also, video evidence of sideline taping is expected to be sent to the NCAA this week, caught by stadium surveillance this year,” Thamel wrote.
Last Thursday, the Big Ten announced that the NCAA was investigating the University of Michigan for alleged sign stealing.
Dan Wentzel and Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports was the first to report this.
According to Yahoo!, Michigan is alleged to have had people attending games of future scheduled opponents and potential College Football Playoff opponents. The purpose of their presence was to find out info on signs these teams use for play calling on both sides of the ball. If Michigan is found guilty, it will have violated NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1. This bylaw says that “Off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is prohibited.”
In a statement, Michigan said it’s “fully cooperating with the Big Ten and the NCAA.”
“At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community.”
In Monday’s report, ESPN clarified that none of the tickets purchased were for games directly involving Michigan, only games where one of both of the participants were on Michigan’s schedule down the line.
Michigan plays Penn State in Happy Valley Nov. 11, with kickoff scheduled for noon on Fox.
