I don’t give a crap if Michigan cheated or not. I’m not a Michigan fan, nor am I an Ohio State fan. I grew up a fan of Boston College from the Flutie era, and I honestly don’t give a crap about them anymore, either. Covering college football and recruiting for 26 years makes you jaded and steals the passion for the sport in a way. I love college football. But I don’t give a crap about who wins what.
Because of this, I’m apathetic to cheating. After years of knowing EVERY side deal given to EVERY recruit in the country, it’s now legal to effectively pay kids to come to your school, so that makes you wonder why anyone cared about cheating back then. After having inside knowledge of tampering with transfers for two decades now it’s actually irresponsible of a coach not to tamper with the portal so active. College football has changed. It was never pure, but it was a whole lot more innocent as recently as four years ago as it is now. That’s life.
So maybe Michigan cheated, and maybe they didn’t. Maybe it’s a big deal, and maybe it’s not. That depends on how you see it. But as a neutral observer, there are a few things about this Michigan scouting and sign-stealing thing that puzzle me.
1. Why would a smart ex-military guy like Connor Stalions be so dumb about this?
The parody account SEC Shorts hit it all on the head…
It’s hilarious and on point. No one can be this stupid, right? Public Venmo payments, tickets bought without fake names, wearing Michigan gear, no hidden cameras, and so on. I mean c’mon. If this cheating did occur, the strategy had to be to make it look so obviously innocent that no one on the planet would think they are this dumb. And maybe that’s the idea. Or maybe they just didn’t do anything wrong? Who knows.
2. Why would Jim Harbaugh risk this?
He’s a good coach and all. He went to a Super Bowl, after all. And maybe he’s struggled beating Ohio State and Penn State but what edge does he need to beat Maryland, Rutgers, Indiana, and the rest? Harbaugh isn’t dumb — he knows the rules. He knows this is against the rules, as dumb as those rules may be. Why would he recruit such an amazing roster from the portal and high school and jeopardize games and an entire season for an edge he may or may not need against a couple of teams? It just doesn’t add up.
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3. Is this an NCAA vendetta?
If Harbaugh has been doing this, he certainly couldn’t have invented the wheel here. Why him? Why now? It just seems fishy coming off the cheeseburger investigation where he refused to cooperate. Whether this is real or not, it seems directly personal.
4. Is Harbaugh hated by everyone?
Issues at Stanford were kinda quiet but existed, and his issues with 49ers management were public and real. He’s had issues with his Athletic Director at Michigan and he seems to turn many people off with his personality and demeanor. Now rumors are swirling that the leak came from a Michigan alum and perhaps an ex-coach. This dude isn’t liked by those who work or worked with him, and it continues to catch up to him. The funny part is that he seems to continue to fall upward and will likely land a lucrative NFL job soon. Buyer beware, though.
5. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire?
I’m sorry, but the old adage rings true — something is up. Ann Arbor is smoking, and it’s either a little bonfire or a raging inferno, but something is legit. This isn’t a farce.
6. Nothing will be done, right?
Of course not. The NCAA will investigate this for years, and maybe, and I say maybe, wins will be vacated as Ohio State had to for tattoos. But the Michigan brand will live on as strong as ever, Harbaugh will continue to make millions either at Michigan or in the NFL, and these rules (like free tattoos) will seem dumb as hell in a few years. Life goes on.
