Connor Stalions connection with CMU football: Here's what we know about the embattled former Michigan football assistant and the NCAA investigation.
On Tuesday, the NCAA announced that Central Michigan had been served with a Notice of Allegations concerned with the presence of former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions on their Chips' sideline at their Sept. 1, 2023, football game against Michigan State, as part of Michigan football's sign-stealing scandal. Central Michigan has said it has no knowledge of how Stalions ended up on the sideline against the Spartans.
Here's what we know about the scandal drawing the Chippewas into the NCAA's crosshairs:
Who is Connor Stalions?
Connor Stalions is a former Michigan football analyst accused of orchestrating a years-long sign-stealing campaign on Michigan’s behalf. While decoding signs during games is not banned under NCAA bylaws, scouting teams’ signs in person and in advance of a matchup – and using electronic means to do so – is. Stalions is accused of paying others to attend games and record future Michigan opponents’ signs as well as doing so himself. He has denied the allegations, and Michigan has denied any knowledge of Stalions’ alleged activities.
How is Central Michigan connected to Connor Stalions?
On Oct. 31,, 2023, photos began circulating online of an unidentified person, allegedly Stalions, standing on CMU’s sideline wearing CMU gear, a hat, sunglasses, a beard and credentials for the visitor’s bench, from Central Michigan’s season opener against Michigan State on Sept. 1, 2023. Stalions has denied attending the game.
What happened after Central Michigan was implicated?
The Chippewas denied any knowledge of Stalions’ presence and announced they were launching an investigation on Oct. 31, 2023. The NCAA also began an investigation into Stalions’ presence that day. The results of Central Michigan’s investigation have yet to be released. The NCAA investigation took 387 days, and the NCAA attributed this to CMU repeatedly “providing false or misleading information” and “withholding materials requested by the enforcement staff.”
Did CMU make any coaching changes after this was discovered?
Yes, though neither were stated to be directly related to the investigation. At the end of the 2024 season, coach Jim McElwain retired. More significant was the resignation of quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner just weeks into the 2024 season. Central Michigan declined to comment on his departure. The Lansing State Journal reported that Kostner was responsible for Stalions’ presence on the sideline.
Was there a connection between Connor Stalions and CMU's coaching staff?
Yes. Both McElwain and Kostner spent time on Michigan's staff that overlapped with Stalions. McElwain was a receivers coach with the Wolverines in 2018 and Kostner was a grad assistant during Stalions' time as a student assistant from 2015-18.
What is CMU accused of?
The official violations are currently unknown. The NCAA serves notices of allegations after closing an investigation to outline “the rules that the institution is alleged to have broken and describes the facts of the case.”
CMU, in a statement to the Free Press on Tuesday, July 29, said it had not receieved the NOA, despite its appearance on the NCAA's dashboard, and was working with the NCAA for a negotiated resolution.
"We are aware that the NCAA has updated its online infractions dashboard for parties contesting their allegations," the statement from Central Michigan associate athletic director Greg Hotchkiss reads. "CMU has not received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA because it is working with the NCAA toward a negotiated resolution.
"We have been working collaboratively with the NCAA since Fall 2023, and we look forward to bringing our matter to a fair conclusion soon."
What happens next for Central Michigan?
The NCAA listed the delivery date of the NOA as June 27. CMU has 90 days from that date to respond to the notice in writing, which would take the Chippewas to Sept. 25, but there may be extensions of this date. If CMU and the NCAA have not reached a negotiated resolution by then, and the Chippewas have submitted their official written response, the two sides will set a date for a hearing before the Committee on Infractions, just as Michigan did in early June.
Contact Matthew Auchincloss at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Connor Stalions connection with CMU football: Here's what we know
Category: General Sports
