NCAA President’s Provides Details on Michigan Hearing and Other Michigan Wolverines News

Supporters of the Michigan Wolverines have been eagerly seeking updates regarding the recent NCAA Committee on Infractions hearing held last week.

The NCAA has been looking into claims that the Michigan football team engaged in prohibited advanced in-person scouting activities in breach of NCAA rules.

It’s a small infraction, but additional charges have been added, primarily for failing to cooperate with NCAA investigators. After nearly two years, NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that the penalties for Michigan should be announced within the next 30 to 90 days.

 

It was noteworthy that Baker did not attend the event. Naturally, he also mentioned that Michigan football won its national championship “fair and square.”

 

Certain fans of Ohio State and Michigan State have become quite irrational, believing that Sherrone Moore won’t coach another game for Michigan football. I’m not exaggerating; this message board thread from SpartanMag confirms that these beliefs are genuinely held.

That’s been a pipe dream of the Ohio State fanbase, which is desperate for an excuse to explain away the Buckeyes four straight losses to Michigan football.

 

However, neither Pete Thamel nor Dan Wetzel of ESPN is predicting a postseason ban or the vacating of any wins. Even Michigan AD Warde Manuel pushed back on that.

 

So what will the final punishment be for all parties involved?

Predictions for NCAA investigation into Connor Stalions, Michigan football

Former Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh will receive another show cause. Connor Stalions and Chris Partridge are going to get show-cause penalties, too. That doesn’t seem like a bold thing to predict.

Partridge, who was fired by Michigan for not following a directive not to discuss the NCAA investigation, might be able to fight back against the NCAA, and avoid a show cause, but Harbaugh and Stalions will receive them.

 

As far as the program in general, vacating wins would be unprecedented. So, outside of Ohio State fans clamoring for it, as if their life depends on it, it’s hard to see that happening.

The news of the scandal broke early in the 2023 season. Michigan won every game after that, including four wins over top-5 teams. The Wolverines trailed in the fourth quarter once, in all of those games.

 

Michigan is facing six level-1 violations. However, most of them stem from a lack of cooperation, at least from the NCAA viewpoint. There is also the charge of “failure to monitor

Yet, I’d expect a heavy fine, and maybe some recruiting violations. A postseason ban might have happened in the past, but with the transfer portal, it would be open season on the roster, and would essentially be a death penalty.

 

Michigan wouldn’t take that lying down. It would take the NCAA to court, and probably win — the NCAA rarely wins in court and in this case, it ran rougshod over its own rules.

 

So my prediction is that Sherrone Moore will serve a three-game suspension. It will be the first three games of the season and he won’t be able to be around the team which is a massive penalty for deleting text messages that were still turned over to NCAA investigators.

Ohio State fans will be furious. But deep down, they know that they are really angry because the Wolverines have beaten their beloved Buckeyes four years in a row.

 

Nothing will ever change that.