Steve Sarkisian has a simple plan to combat sign stealing
It’s all about coach-to-player communication.
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For the last month, the sign-stealing scandal surrounding the Michigan Wolverines has dominated the college football world, resulting in the termination of staffer Connor Stalions and the suspension of head coach Jim Harbaugh. It’s difficult to escape, with broadcasts regularly discussing the scandal even Michigan isn’t playing.
And Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian has a solution, and he wants to get the word out about it.
During Sarkisian’s Thursday media availability, he’d already answered in the affirmative that the NCAA should allow the same type of helmet radios used in the NFL for communicating plays before the reporter could finish his question.
“Everybody write an article about why doesn’t college football have coach-to-play communication?” said Sarkisian. “So I don’t have to deal with sign stealing — I spend half my week changing signals and signs instead of coaching the game of football. So yes, and please write an article.”
The bottom line is that Sarkisian doesn’t buy any of the excuses for why college football can’t adopt technology the NFL began using in 1994 and that Sarkisian employed during his two seasons as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.
“It all just makes, it all makes sense to me and there’s no shortage of money in college football clearly, so the idea that it is a competitive disadvantage for those who can’t do it or that stadiums aren’t equipped to have that kind of technology, I don’t buy it and I don’t understand it,” said Sarkisian. “Anytime I turn on college football late at night, if it’s not the first topic, it’s the second topic that’s brought up is sign stealing. Our game is way too good and there are too many great stories to have that be at the forefront.”
Just as importantly, Sarkisian wants the focus to be on the actual on-field product.
“It should be at the forefront because I believe what was going on was wrong, but at the end of the day, there are too many good stories and positive things around college football, too many great players and too many great teams playing great football for us to be talking about this. Let’s just fix the problem. It’s not that hard, let’s get player-to-coach communication and let’s move forward,” said Sarkisian.
Harbaugh to serve out suspension, Big Ten ends Michigan sign-stealing investigation in settlement
Michigan has announced that football coach Jim Harbaugh will serve the remainder of a three-game suspension from the Big Ten in return for the conference ending its investigation into a yearslong scheme to steal opponents’ play-calling signals
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan announced Thursday that football coach Jim Harbaugh will serve the remainder of a three-game suspension from the Big Ten in return for the conference ending its investigation into a scheme to steal opponents’ play-calling signals.
The settlement between the parties is the latest twist in a monthlong saga involving one of college football’s most recognizable programs, one of its most successful coaches, and allegations a low-level Michigan staffer purchased tickets to the games of the Wolverines’ future opponents and sent people to those games to digitally record teams signaling in their plays.
“Coach Harbaugh, with the university’s support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field,” Michigan said in a statement. “The conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh’s involvement in the allegations. The university continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA’s investigation.”
Harbaugh was suspended last Friday by the Big Ten, three weeks after an investigation by the NCAA into the allegations emerged. Michigan hours later asked a court for an injunction and temporary restraining order, but Harbaugh did not coach the team against Penn State on Saturday.
The two sides were expected in court Friday in Ann Arbor, but instead Michigan and Harbaugh dropped the complaint and Harbaugh will miss games at Maryland on Saturday and at home against No. 3 Ohio State on Nov. 25.
He will continue to be permitted to coach the team during the week. The penalty is only for game days.
No. 2 Michigan is among the favorites to win a national title and is looking for its third straight Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff appearance.
The NCAA investigation surfaced four weeks ago amid allegations that Michigan had used a robust in-person scouting and sign-stealing operation conducted by a recruiting analyst, Connor Stalions, who has since resigned after being suspended by the school. The Big Ten said at the time it was also looking into the allegations.
The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but it does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of future opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team’s signals.
The NCAA process is slow moving, but the Big Ten’s rules gave Commissioner Tony Petitti the opportunity to hand down discipline more quickly. It hit Harbaugh with a three-game suspension, which the school immediately challenged.
University leaders made the decision to settle the case because the Big Ten would not agree to reduce Harbaugh’s suspension to two games. The school also didn’t want to drag the dispute into court and negotiated for the conference to close its investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter.
That person spoke Thursday with The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the school’s rationale.
Combined with a previously served school-imposed, three-game suspension for an unrelated NCAA infractions case tied to recruiting, Harbaugh will miss half the Wolverines’ regular-season games this season.
He has repeatedly denied any involvement with Stalions’ apparent scheme.
Harbaugh called Michigan “America’s team” earlier this week for continuing to win under the cloud of the scandal.
“America loves a team that beats the odds, beats the adversity, overcomes what the naysayers and so-called experts think,” he said Monday.
Multiple Big Ten schools have records showing ticket purchases under Stalions’ name going back as much as three years and video surveillance footage of people in those seats with cell phones pointed toward the field.
Angry and frustrated Big Ten coaches and athletic directors pushed Petitti to punish Harbaugh before the NCAA concluded its investigation.
When the Big Ten did, Michigan claimed the commissioner overstepped his authority and acted outside the conference’s bylaws.
Athletic director Warde Manuel released a scathing statement Saturday right before Michigan kicked off at Penn State — a game the Wolverines won 24-15.
“Not liking someone or another university or believing without any evidence that they knew or saying someone should have known without an investigation is not grounds to remove someone from their position before the NCAA process has reached a conclusion through a full NCAA investigative process,” Manuel said.
He added: “You may have removed him from our sidelines today, but Jim Harbaugh is our head football coach,” Manuel said.
Harbaugh could return if Michigan makes the Big Ten championship game on Dec. 2. The winner of the Michigan-Ohio State game will determine which of the heated rivals plays for the Big Ten championship and maybe a spot in the playoff.
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