Fired Michigan assistant Chris Partridge takes victory lap after NCAA clears him in sign-stealing scandal

All things considered, it was a decent day for Michigan athletics, which avoided a postseason ban when the NCAA finally delivered its ruling on the school's sign stealing scandal.

It was an even better day for a coach the Wolverines once fired in relation to the same scandal.

Chris Partridge, a former Michigan assistant and the only person to be let go by the program in the wake of the revelations around his former subordinate Connor Stalions, was all but exonerated in the NCAA's infractions report. Faced with three violations in the NCAA's notice of allegations, the organization cleared Partridge on each count and declined to penalize him personally:

The NOA alleged additional violations for Partridge, including: (1) arranging and conducting impermissible tryouts with prospects; (2) providing an impermissible inducement to a prospect; and (3) failing to cooperate during and after his employment at Michigan. The recruiting allegations were presented as Level II. The failure to cooperate allegations were presented as Level I. Partridge disputed each of the allegations. The panel concludes that the case record does not demonstrate that these violations occurred.

Partridge, who now works as the outside linebackers for the Seattle Seahawks, released a statement affirming his innocence and reiterating his support for Michigan:

Partridge's statement:

I am extremely grateful for the thorough investigation done by the NCAA Infractions Committee. For almost two years, I sat silently while many members of the mainstream media told lies about me and why I was wrongfully terminated by the University of Michigan.

It means so much to me and my family to finally have my name cleared and reputation restored. My faith in the process never wavered, and through it all, I stayed true to who I am as a person and mentor. I remained steadfast in my passion for being part of a team and being lockstep with my fellow coaches to provide guidance to young men as they navigate the great sport of football.

Much love to all the coaches and players from Team 144!

Partridge was fired in Nov. 2023, with the university telling him it had received evidence he had not abided by a directive to not discuss the investigation with other members of the program. In its report, the NCAA said it found that a student-athlete spoke to Partridge about an upcoming interview for the investigation.

However, the NCAA essentially found that Partridge's only advice to the student-athlete was to get a lawyer, as supported by an affidavit from another student-athlete in the room and camera footage from the football facility. It determined that there was "insufficient information to reasonably conclude that Partridge attempted to influence a student-athlete to lie about it to the enforcement staff."

Partridge first joined Michigan in 2015 as director of player personnel and went on to work as a linebackers coach, safeties coach and special teams coordinator across two different stints with the program.

Jaime Crawford via Getty Images

While Partridge was spared further repercussions, four of his former co-workers received penalties from the NCAA. Current Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore received a one-game suspension, in addition to a self-imposed two-game ban, and a two-year show cause penalty, while former head coach Jim Harbaugh, former assistant Denard Robinson and Stalions were all hit with their own show-causes.

Michigan itself is facing an eight-figure fine based on its football budget and two years of postseason compensation revenue, plus some smaller recruiting penalties. The school is appealing the decision, even though many observers believe they got off lightly.