In a toothless ruling, the NCAA has handed down a penalty on the University of Michigan Football program.
Early estimates are that the financial penalty could exceed $30,000,000. While might sound severe but it does nothing about the harm caused to other schools. There were 58 potential opponents who were illegally scouted.
The NCAA decided against a post-season ban because they felt it would harm the kids on the roster for the actions of a few coaches who are no longer associated with the program–all the time turning their backs on the actual institutions and kids who it actually harmed.
The ruling also acts like it’s a victimless crime, but what about those schools, players and coaches who were harmed? Some schools lost recruiting battles to Michigan and some lost games. Before the illegal scouting, one could count on Harbaugh losing 2-3 nail-biters a season.
Once the cheating was perfected those close games were getting flipped into wins. Once Stallions and Harbaugh had their process perfected UM was virtually unstoppable. Meanwhile, other schools lost their spot in the playoffs, lost their positioning on TV, lost revenue from both of those opportunities, lost a shot at hosting Game Day.
And the players that the NCAA is so worried about harming, lost NIL value in building national brands.
When a coach leaves the Transfer Portal opens for 30 days. If they NCAA was looking to not harm those players, open up the Transfer Portal for any Wolverine who wants to not be harmed by the ban. But there are still close to 30 players from that season.
Michigan enhanced their brand and damaged others and they got a wet noodle on the back of their hands.
This ruling does nothing more than empower those schools to not just skirt the rules, but flat out cheat with no real repercussion. $30 million? Michigan can generate revenue with more naming opportunities beyond just having their head football coach’s official title to be “J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Head Football Coach” (yes, that’s the actual name of the position held by Sherrone Moore).
Thirty years ago $30 million for cheating would have been a lot. But in the NIL era it’s obvious how much money is flowing through college football and this is a drop in the bucket.
For the Washington Huskies in 2024, one play was literally the difference in the outcome of three games. In a 24-19 loss in the Apple Cup, on the road at Rutgers then in the Sun Bowl, flipping the outcome of one single play would have changed the outcome of the game and turned them into a 10-win team.
The same was happening to the boys from Ann Arbor in the first several years of the Harbaugh-era. In 2015 Michigan had single-possession losses to Utah and Notre Dame. The following season 3 games came down to a single play. In 2017 and 2018 three more games were decided by one play.
Then Connor Stallions stepped in and began “scouting”.
Their lone regular season loss in 2021 was to Mel Tucker and the Michigan State who were breaking in a new coach, Mel Tucker, so they didn’t have the ability to steal intel. The Spartans won 37-33. When teams had a chance to change up calls before playoff games Michigan was getting hammered. Georgia had 27 days to change up calls and signals before they faced the Wolverines. Michigan didn’t look like they belonged on the same field as they lost 34-11 and finished third in the nation.
In 2022, when they again finished 3rd in the country, going 14-1. Their only loss being to TCU in the playoffs when the Horned Frog changed everything up. In reality, Michigan should have hammered the Horned Frogs but they fell behind 34-16 in the second quarter. UM rallied and nearly came back.
The Washington Huskies and Michigan both entered the CFP National Championship game unbeaten, with Michigan winning in dominating fashion. They were clearly the better team that day. However, the damage had been done. With winning comes better recruits and with Michigan winning via cheating and the head coach who has now been essentially banned for 10 years
Down in Eugene, Oregon, they have to be thinking, “Game on!” This ruling creates a perfect partnership down in Eugene, Oregon and fans who will happily turn a blind eye like they did in Ann Arbor and a coach and a financier to pay the damages if they get caught.
Think Phil Knight will care about a $30 million fine? No. And neither will Dan Lanning, who routinely had players commit infractions on the field in front of millions of viewers. I doubt that he’s any different behind closed doors–probably much much worse, especially when it’s not his $30 million being doled out.
