Quarterback J.J. McCarthy stated on Wednesday that Michigan’s season has been overshadowed by the scandal surrounding sign-stealing, despite the team’s efforts to go undefeated and advance to the College Football Playoff championship game.
The NCAA is still looking into claims that the Wolverines, over a three-year period that included this season, had a staff member conduct in-person advance scouting against NCAA regulations and used video equipment to read future opponents’ play-call signs from the sideline. Michigan plays Washington for the national title in Houston on Monday.
When asked if the NCAA could order Michigan to vacate victories during a CFP media teleconference, McCarthy responded that it would be bad if the players weren’t acknowledged for their accomplishments.
“But in the end, we know what we’ve put in, we know how much work we’ve put in, and we know that we played the right way, so it won’t change the amount of accomplishment and pride for being on this football team and just everything that we accomplished,” he remarked.
In response to a query regarding potential sanctions, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he was concentrating on the game against Washington.
We just don’t really have time for that right now, he said, adding, “I don’t know if you want to live in rumors or speculation.” “That’s done somewhere else.”
While there are regulations against using electronic devices to record an opponent’s signals and against in-person, advanced scouting of potential opponents during the season, the NCAA does not outright forbid taking signs. Additionally, there are regulations prohibiting coaches from engaging in dishonest or unethical behavior, and head coaches are typically held accountable for any infractions.
Harbaugh was suspended by the Big Ten for the last three regular-season games after he disregarded the sportsmanship policy of the conference. Harbaugh has denied knowing anything about the act of stealing signs. Due to claims of recruiting violations, Michigan suspended Harbaugh for the first three games of the season.
80% of college football teams, according to McCarthy, steal signs.
“It’s simply a football thing,” he remarked. It has existed for a long time. We genuinely had to adjust because, in 2020 or 2019, Ohio State was stealing our signs, which was lawful at the time, and we needed to level the playing field and catch up to them.
McCarthy later gave The Associated Press an explanation for that statement.
“I meant to say that we need to level the playing field when I said that we need to change our own signs, develop our own signs, and distribute those changes when we know that signs have probably been stolen,” the speaker stated.
McCarthy and defensive lineman Mason Graham said that they, along with their teammates, spend a lot of time working within the rules to uncover hints about potential opponent reactions in various scenarios.
