LOS ANGELES (AP) — In response to the sign-stealing scandal, Alabama coaches urged players to change their movie habits before the team's Rose Bowl game against Michigan football.
Wide receiver Isaiah Bond, one of the few Crimson Tide offensive players made available Thursday morning, told the Free Press that the coaching staff informed players that Michigan had allegedly stolen information from the team's Catapult system, which includes various Performance-based analytics tracked, such as sprint distance, top speed and power.
“I guess it took them time, but they still made it to the playoffs,” Bond said. “I mean, when we're on the field, they have to play us anyway, so all the sign-stealing doesn't help.”
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To ensure safety, Bond said the team only watched film as a group, not as individuals or in specific position groups, even going so far as to say players were “not allowed” to do so alone.
“We were able to watch film as a team, but we personally can’t watch film because I don’t know the reason why Michigan stole signs,” Bond said. “Our coaches probably told us this a week ago, right before we drove here.”
It's the latest development in a scandal that has dogged the Wolverines since it emerged more than two months ago.
Former recruiting employee Connor Stalions is accused of hatching a plan to film future opponents' perimeter lines in order to then decipher them. This is a violation of NCAA bylaws prohibiting in-person advance scouting.
He was put on paid leave and then resigned, but that wasn't the only consequence. Linebackers coach Chris Partridge was fired after telling players not to talk to investigators about the situation; In November, head coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended three games by the Big Ten for violating the league's athletic policy.
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The only Alabama official available Thursday morning to confirm Bond's claim was offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. The former Notre Dame quarterback avoided questions about Bond's statement.
“I understand the question and respect it, but I’m not focused on it,” Rees said. “I just try to give our players the best chance to succeed.”
However, Alabama running back Jase McClellan confirmed that the Crimson Tide has changed its plan for watching video.
“It just makes you safer,” McClellan said. “Someone got information, you never know. So we just send them to a computer that the coaches have and we watch.”
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McClellan missed the SEC championship game against Georgia after suffering a foot injury the previous week. Alabama head coach Nick Saban said Wednesday at Disneyland that his running back is expected to play.
“I think two weeks ago they came to us and said, 'We're going to look at it as a whole,' we weren't going to get a single film,” McClellan said. “So we made the change and used running back groups instead of individual groups.”
Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe said Thursday that he is still preparing.
“The most important thing is to try to be as prepared as possible for the situations in the game,” Milroe said. “I watch films as much as possible. I can’t really say anything about that, but I prepared as best as I could.”