The NCAA on Friday handed down its punishment to the University of Michigan for the Conor Stalions sign-stealing scandal, a multi-faceted sentence that includes four years of probation; multiple financial sanctions; and a 25% reduction in football official visits during the 2025-26 season, among other disciplinary actions, including long-term show-cause penalities for then head coach Jim Harbaugh and Stalions himself. The school notably did not receive a postseason ban, which was to avoid "unfairly [penalizing] student-athletes or the actions of coaches and staff who are no longer associated with the Michigan football program."
Now, in the hours since the penalties were revealed, the general consensus among both fans and pundits seems to be that Michigan got away with highway robbery; the punishment feels light for the crime. Still, however, the school plans to appeal the ruling.
