Michigan Football Sign-Stealing Investigation Takes a Turn After Report That Staffer Bought Tickets for Prohibited Games

Adam Bow/AP

In the midst of a sign-stealing investigation, sources have told ESPN that a suspended University of Michigan staffer bought tickets to see at least 11 conference rivals over the last three years.

The sources – all from the rivals in question – claimed staffer Connor Stalions bought tickets in his own name for more than 30 games. He then forwarded those tickets to multiple other people around the country who would then attend those games. According to a source from one Big Ten school, surveillance footage from a game earlier this season showed one person — in the seat purchased by Stalions — holding their phone up and seemingly recording the team’s sideline “the entire time.”

None of the games involved Michigan, but the Wolverines were scheduled to face either one of the teams or both of them. For Saturday’s game between Ohio State and Penn State, for example, Stalions purchased tickets behind both benches. Michigan will face both teams this season, but the tickets ended up going unused after Stalions’ name emerged in reports last week.

The NCAA is expected to receive the surveillance footage sometime this week.

According to NCAA rules, teams may not scout future opponents off-campus and in-person. In fact, in-person scouting was banned in 1994 due to the fact that not every team could afford to send people across the country multiple times per season, according to the Associated Press.

In response to the NCAA opening an investigation, the university said it’s fully cooperating. After Saturday’s win over Michigan State University, coach Jim Harbaugh called it an attempt to “diminish” the team’s success.