With each day, more and more information is obtained about Michigan and its ongoing scouting scandal.
With each day comes more frustration from Big Ten coaches and administrators as it pertains to said scandal.
This level of frustration is gaining steam according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel who reported sources told him Big Ten athletic directors got off a call with league commissioner Tony Petitti with the notion he is taking the conference’s ability to punish Michigan over its allegations more seriously than before.
Sources told Thamel no potential punishments were discussed, but Petitti mentioned he’s speaking with the NCAA about the investigation, though he didn’t reveal details of those talks.
Having a conversation with the NCAA does make one think Petitti is prepared to exhaust all options when it comes to determining what needs to be done in order to figure out a just punishment given the timeline of events.
Thamel mentioned the willingness of the NCAA to divulge information about the investigation and what was alleged is telling, as that was done in order to protect the integrity of games.
Much more needs to be done on the Big Ten’s end as Petitti still needs to meet with the conference’s presidents as well as have deeper conversations with officials at Michigan and potentially follow-up with the NCAA according to Thamel’s report.
Petitti took over in April, but does have the backing of his athletic directors. They did make one thing known according to Thamel’s sources, “The athletic directors had a clear message — we believe the conference needs to step up.”
Of course, they feel the conference needs to step in as it’s a painstakingly long process for the NCAA and there’s a significant lack of faith in NCAA enforcement to investigate the allegations in a timely manner according to Thamel.
What comes next is yet to be determined, but the ball is in the Big Ten’s court to act fast.
