Michigan football team's Connor Stalions hilariously denies incident on Central Michigan sidelines

Former Michigan football commentator Connor Stalions denies disguising himself to spy on the Central Michigan football team's sideline. Stalions is partnering with a Netflix documentary to tell his side of the story regarding a sign-stealing scandal that has brought negative attention to the Wolverines football program.

Video footage appeared to show Stalions disguised to spy on the Central Michigan football team during the school's game against Michigan State. Stalions denies the notion that he ever spied.

“First of all, I've never scouted in advance,” Stalions said, according to The Athletic. “Secondly, when it came to signals, I get signals like any other team does by watching TV replays and talking to other intelligence people on other teams. What set me apart was the way I organized the information and processed it on game day.”

Michigan football and the Stalions have parted ways in 2023. The program is facing sanctions from the NCAA after receiving a notice of violation for its alleged practices. The school is accused of stealing signs from other schools while Jim Harbaugh was head coach. The scandal casts a dark shadow over the 2024 season.

Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore could face punishment as a result of this investigation

The Michigan football program is now led by Sherrone Moore after Harbaugh left for the NFL. Moore served as interim coach at the end of the 2023 season while Harbaugh sat out due to a self-imposed suspension. Moore earned a key win over Ohio State that took the team to the Big Ten championship game. Harbaugh resigned due to this ongoing investigation.

That suspension didn't seem to be enough for the NCAA, and the organization sent Michigan a final notice of violations earlier this week. The school is accused of sign-stealing, and Moore and Harbaugh could face disciplinary sanctions. Moore is accused of deleting text messages related to the investigation. He faces a suspension and a penalty for failure to show cause, but the Wolverines will have the opportunity to appeal the charges.

All of this drama is distracting the Michigan football team from its upcoming season. There are many changes happening in Ann Arbor as the school brings in several new players to play alongside its new head coach. Michigan opens its 2024 season with a game on Saturday against Fresno State.

According to the Associated Press preseason college football poll, the Wolverines are ranked No. 9 nationally. Time will tell if this ongoing investigation will distract the Wolverines too much.