Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore finds himself in hot water as recent reports have surfaced, indicating that he violated NCAA rules. The Notice of Allegations (NOA) draft, a document that outlines potential rule violations in collegiate sports, has brought to light the alleged misconduct by Moore. This development has sent shockwaves through the Michigan football community and raised concerns about the integrity of the program.
Moore’s role in recruiting top talent and developing players has been instrumental in shaping the success of the Michigan football program. However, the allegations against him have put a damper on his reputation and raised questions about his ethical conduct.
The draft, which could be subject to change, states Moore could face a show-cause penalty and possibly a suspension for allegedly deleting a thread of 52 text messages with former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions in October 2023 on the same day that media reports revealed Stalions was leading an effort to capture the playcalling signals of future opponents.
The draft states that the texts were later recovered via “device imaging” and Moore “subsequently produced them to enforcement staff.” Moore is accused of committing a Level 2 violation, according to the draft.
Former Michigan staff members Jim Harbaugh, Chris Partridge, Denard Robinson and Stalions are also accused of committing Level 1 violations, the most serious category in the NCAA’s enforcement process. The school also faces a Level 1 violation charge, according to the draft, because of its “pattern of noncompliance within the football program” and institutional efforts to hinder or thwart the NCAA’s investigation. Former coaches Jesse Minter and Steve Clinkscale are also accused of recruiting violations unrelated to Stalions in the draft.
Stalions resigned in early November following a week of public reports detailing his scheme of purchasing tickets to games around the country and directing a network of individuals to video the sidelines in an effort to decode their playcalling signals. The NCAA’s draft obtained by ESPN states that investigators used ticket information, film, photographs and interviews to determined that Stalions had impermissibly scouted at least 13 future Michigan opponents on at least 58 occasions between 2021 and 2023. He directed others to scout some opponents multiple times — including one team that they scouted seven different times in 2022, according to the draft.
The investigators also allege that multiple team interns and at least one other full-time team employee knew about the scheme and participated in it. The draft says that Stalions led those individuals to believe that what they were doing was not against the rules.
The draft also states the NCAA gathered evidence that shows Stalions was on the sideline at Michigan State’s season-opening game against Central Michigan in 2023. Stalions was wearing a bench pass, Central Michigan coaching gear and a disguise, according to the draft, which states that Stalions’ conduct “seriously undermined or threatened the integrity of the NCAA collegiate model.” The draft does not say how Stalions obtained a bench pass for the Chippewas’ sideline.
In the meantime, Moore and the Michigan football program must address these allegations head-on, cooperate with the NCAA’s investigation, and take steps to rectify any potential wrongdoing. The future of the program hangs in the balance, and it will require transparency, accountability, and a commitment to compliance to weather this storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
