According to an ESPN article published Sunday morning, Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore and six former Wolverine coaches and analysts are being accused of violating NCAA rules in a draft memo of the NCAA’s notice of allegations.
The draft notice of allegations, which accuses seven coaches of varying levels of violations, touches on both recruiting violations and violations pertaining to Michigan’s infamous sign stealing scandal. As reported by ESPN, Moore is specifically accused of Level II violations and may face a “show-cause” penalty for deleting a string of 52 text messages with former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions. Moore allegedly deleted the messages in October of 2023, on the same day that news reports of Stalions’ sign stealing operation became public. However, those messages were later recovered via “device imaging,” and Moore “subsequently produced them to enforcement staff.”
While the draft outlines potential Level II violations committed by Moore, it also highlights several potential Level I violations committed by former Wolverines coaches. According to the ESPN report, former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, former assistant director of player personnel Denard Robinson, former linebackers coach Chris Partridge and Stalions are all facing Level I accusations.
Harbaugh specifically is facing level I accusations and possible “show-cause” restrictions for not cooperating with the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan’s sign stealing. Importantly, the draft notice of allegations does not claim that Harbaugh was fully aware of Stalions’ sign stealing operation, but rather that he missed and failed to evaluate “red flags.”
In a statement given to The Michigan Daily Sunday afternoon, a representative from Michigan Football gave the following statement: “Our athletic department and university continue to cooperate with the NCAA regarding our on-going investigation. We do not have an update to share regarding its status at this time.”
For his part, Stalions also faces Level I accusations for his role at the center of the sign stealing scandal. The draft claims that Stalions did not cooperate with the NCAA. However, they were able to produce independent evidence that he illegally scouted 13 different opponents 58 separate times from 2021-2023. Most shockingly, the draft notice allegedly confirms that Stalions — wearing a bench pass, coaching gear and a disguise — snuck onto Central Michigan University’s field for its first game of the 2023 season to illegally film Michigan State’s sideline. Additionally, the report alleges that Stalions utilized interns in his operation.
As for Partridge, the former coach fired last November, the draft alleges Level I violations of improperly pressuring players to mislead NCAA investigators along with multiple unrelated Level II violations.
Finally, Partridge, Robinson, former defensive backs coach Steve Clinkscale and former defensive coordinator Jesse Minter are all accused of varying degrees of recruiting violations. The allegations run the gamut, from paying for meals for recruits, contacting recruits during dead periods, and in Clinkscale’s case, helping a recruit get verified on Instagram and giving an improper donation to a charity run by a recruit’s father.
While the draft notice of allegations has not formally been released and is subject to change — and even rewriting — the ESPN report is another episode in a continuing a tumultuous saga for Michigan. While the Wolverines may be preparing for a new season with a very new roster and staff, it is clear that they are not fully out of the woods when it comes to past issues with the NCAA.
The post Report: Moore, six former coaches facing allegations of violating NCAA rules appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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