A new CBS Detroit report says Central Michigan University football coaches arranged for now-banned Michigan Wolverines staffer Connor Stalions to scout play calls on their sideline during a 2023 game. Stalions is the the focus of an investigation into sign stealing within the University of Michigan football program.
The story cites two anonymous sources within CMU's football program that say coaches worked toward getting Stalions on the sideline against Michigan State.
It also says then-head coach Jim McElwain helped arrange for Stalions to be there and “to secure Stalions a sideline credential and outfit him in CMU-issued gear,” the CBS story reads.
“Stalions' role during CMU's game against MSU was the result of a direct request from CMU's staff, with the sole purpose of assisting their program for that game,” according to CBS.
McElwain denied having any knowledge of Stalions’ presence on the sideline. "I do know that his name was on none of the passes that were let out," he said at an October 2023 press conference.
Stalions was given an eight-year ban by the NCAA on Friday for his role in the in-person scouting scheme. He resigned from Michigan in 2023.
In the NCAA's report detailing the allegations, the NCAA said Stalions was "wearing a bench pass and disguised in Central Michigan-issued coaching gear during a game against Michigan State."
They claim Stalions engaged in in-person scouting, in violation of NCAA rules, “in part to decipher Michigan State’s signals, but also to help a Central Michigan staff member with play calling.”
The University of Michigan and Stalions “both agreed that Stalions’ in-person attendance at the Central Michigan game constituted a violation,” the report says.
In a statement to WCMU, a Central Michigan University spokesperson said they have “not yet received a notice of allegations from the NCAA and is working with the NCAA toward a negotiated resolution."
The statement says they have been working with the NCAA since Fall 2023 and that CMU looks forward to bringing the issue to a “fair conclusion.”
We note WCMU broadcast license is held by Central Michigan University. WCMU's newsroom is editorially independent from CMU, and the university is not involved in writing, editing or reviewing our reports.
