The B1G must suspend Kirk Ferentz for three games immediately

It's almost understandable, at first, given that he came from the baseball world where sign "stealing" is a hot button. And he isn't really a "sports guy", he's a suit, in a brand new role, brand new operating environment... and he had basically the entire conference membership howling for blood. And he fell for it. 

What I don't forgive, or understand, was the persistence. But I guess at that point, he had painted himself into a corner, with no viable way out. 

The precedent was set, however, so he should have to deal with this in some non trivial way. We'll see. 

I do.

No, I think he has a small penis.

Yes.

This is a trick question, right?

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his windfall condo profit depends on his not understanding it.

You are kidding?

Hi background is more TV than sports, but to the extent it was sports, it was MLB.  I assume he immediately saw no distinction between Stalions and the Houston Astros.  In Houston's case, the coaches and executives knew about the scheme and approved of it.  And MLB itself had recently warned teams to stop doing anything along the lines of what Houston did.  (Similary, in the New England Spygate thing, the NFL had warned teams not to do what NE did, and NE went ahead anyway.)  There was no gray area; Houston knowingly, intentionally cheated.  And as Deion said, it's a huge advantage in baseball.  None of those considerations apply to what Stalions did, but Petitti didn't know enough about either situation to draw any distinctions, and Harbaugh / Michigan are not sympathetic victims of the idiocy that went down.  Fortunately, we delivered the only real F You we could by winning it all anyway.

Absolutely. He also came from baseball, where the Astros had a sign-stealing controversy that mattered.

I get your point.  He cannot be that stupid that he really believed it (doesn't mean he didn't act on it anyway.)

However, the comments above are hilarious.

Yup, Harbaugh with equal or better raw talent than all these snake oil coaches would dominate CFB.

Very few can create the culture where development and competition are embraced and bring about brotherhood instead of bitterness.  Pete Carroll, another who achieved in both college and the pros (albeit a very very different personality than Jim) was also the rare unicorn that could win at both levels - although his USC squads were stacked with high end recruits.

Don't get me wrong, this UM squad was stacked with NFL talent, but based on the "talent composite" from recruiting sites, they clearly overachieved.  A coach and a staff simply don't just "hit" on this many under the radar recruits - statistically impossible. 

Jim and staff just know ball, both from identifying talent and developing it for specific schemes.  Elite staff.

Michigan didn't sign off on the excuse that Cincinnati and Luke Fickell were trying to use to get an exception from sitting out a year after transferring.  Short story, Hudson told Cincinnati he transferred due to depression, Harbaugh said that Hudson told him it was due to playing time and never said anything about mental health.  So Michigan could not collaborate it because they were not aware of it and allowed the NCAA to decide.

This is where Harbaugh also said  that players should have a right they have never had and be able to transfer once without sitting out.  Which ended up leading to the transfer portal.  Does it all make sense now? Harbaugh is known for opening doors that everyone else wants welded shut.

The rule is, on it's face, too vague to be enforced.

The NCAA rules specifically apply to school employees.

One rule is: In person advance scouting of future opponents' games is a violation. 

Another NCAA provision states specifically: Sign Stealing is legal. 

The NCAA has ruled that it does not violate any rule to pay professional videographers and experts (using professional videoing equipment) to video college football games of future opponents and then helpfully edit the video. So this does not constitute prohibited in person advance scouting. 

Stallions apparently asked numerous people to use their phones to make a video of games of future opponents and give the videos to him. 

In light of what the NCAA has ruled, it is not reasonable to say that what Stallion did was prohibited by the no advanced scouting rule. 

Is there anything left to litigate? The penalty's already been paid, and in a form that doesn't allow for reimbursement if it was wrong.