By Micheal Geramanese
Another leak and Michigan football is back in the headlines for the sign stealing investigation. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo broke the story of Michigan’s response to the NOA after Yahoo obtained a portion of the 137-page document. And it appears Michigan is going to fight, with any chance of a deal being off the table. The problem is that if you need to fight this hard then only two things are possible, you know they got you, or you’re 100% right.
Michigan’s decision to fight and not try to make a deal after the NOA was issued will have massive consequences moving forward if they’re wrong. Every person who played a role in fighting faces the reality that if they’re wrong Michigan football could be irrelevant for years. The decision to fight in the response is no surprise considering that, the story broke back in Oct. 2023, Michigan has maintained its innocence. But the information in the response to the NOA did nothing to help prove their innocence, it made it worse. But it did raise the question why leak a portion and not the entire thing?
In a 137-page response to the NCAA obtained by @YahooSports, Michigan intends to fight allegations of the Stalions scheme, accuses NCAA of overreaching, defends Sherrone Moore’s deleted texts & reveals that the original NCAA tip came from its own campushttps://t.co/RsDlAnBdKz
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) January 28, 2025
Now Michigan awaits the Committee of Infractions’ decision to find out what the punishments will be. And with six of the 11 violations being Level One, even the biggest naysayer should now see how serious this could be. The good news for Michigan is that whoever is advising them must see a road to victory that most don’t. Because at this point all signs point to the hammer coming down, which many believed was going to happen from the start.
The fact of the matter is that this whole situation has played out far too long. From the slow pace of the NCAA to the continued leaks this situation feels like it’s been going on for years. The leaks have had the case tried in the court of public opinion and Michigan was found guilty, the damage has already been done. The COI, or possibly a judge’s decision doesn’t matter, the three Big Ten championships, national championship, and two wins over Ohio State will always be tied to cheating. So, what are they taking if they do?
More Sports News
Michigan had opportunities to minimize the damage, but their decision not to do so could affect the program for years. Firing Jim Harbaugh, that’s all it would have taken. Instead, Harbaugh’s gone, and Michigan is left to clean up his mess. It’s funny that the man who claimed the thing he loved the most was being a Michigan Man could be responsible for burning the program to the ground.
If Michigan ever faced a must-win fight this is it. It’s a fight they have to see through to the end, whether it’s the COI’s decision or taking the NCAA to court. And for Michigan, the decision to fight better be right, because if they’re wrong, it will set the program back for years.
