Multiple Big Ten teams have discovered football game ticket purchases on behalf of a suspended Michigan football staff member who is at the center of an NCAA investigation into alleged sign theft.
Eleven schools in the Big Ten said they found evidence that Connor Stalions, a Michigan analyst, bought tickets to at least one of their games in the last three seasons, ESPN reported Monday, citing unidentified sources.
The Associated Press confirmed through officials from three Big Ten schools that they had found electronic purchases of game tickets in Stalions’ names. The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation.
One school found that tickets to at least four of its home games were purchased under the Stalions name in the last two years, one of the respondents said.
Another school discovered that tickets to five home games over the last three seasons were purchased under Stalsion’s name and that some of the tickets were electronically transferred to other people’s names, another person said. A third school made a one-game purchase under the Stalions name two weeks before its team’s game against Michigan last season, another person said.
Michigan announced Friday that Stalions had been suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation. Michigan spokesman Dave Workflow said Monday the school could not comment on the ongoing investigation.
At least one school found video surveillance footage from inside its stadium that showed a person appearing to use a cellphone to record what was happening on the field, ESPN reported. The broadcaster also said it purchased tickets for Ohio State’s home game against Penn State on Saturday, but the tickets were not used; Michigan plays both teams later this season.
Michigan and the Big Ten acknowledged that the NCAA was investigating the sign-stealing allegation last week. The conference informed all of Michigan’s upcoming opponents of the allegations.
The second-seeded Wolverines (8-0) defeated Michigan State 49-0 on Saturday night. Michigan, which has won the last two Big Ten championships and is a favorite to play in the national title game, is on pause this week.
NCAA rules do not directly prohibit sign stealing, but there are rules against using electronic devices to record an opponent’s signals. An NCAA statute also prohibits “in-person scouting of future opponents off campus (in the same season).” There are also rules against unsportsmanlike or unethical activities by coaches, and head coaches are generally held responsible for violations that occur under their supervision.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh served a three-game university-imposed suspension earlier this season for an unrelated and still unresolved case of NCAA recruiting-related violations.
Stalions is a retired Marine Corps captain and Naval Academy graduate. He was hired as an off-field analyst at Michigan in May 2022, according to a deactivated LinkedIn profile.