Michigan Wolverines

football staff member Connor Stalions, who was at the core of the program’s sign-stealing controversy, has resigned, the school said in a statement.

“This afternoon, Connor Stalions announced his resignation from the Michigan Athletics. In a statement, Michigan said, “We are unable to speak more about this personnel issue.

Multiple stories had stated that Stallions had been dismissed prior to Michigan’s announcement.

The Athletic claims that the Stalions “refused to cooperate with any internal or external investigations or discussions.” According to the Associated Press, Stalions “failed to show up for a scheduled hearing Friday and informed the school through his attorney he would not participate in any internal or external investigations.”

In order to give the Wolverines an edge in games, the Stallions are accused of purchasing tickets to games against Michigan’s Big Ten Conference and potential opponents in the College Football Playoffs. They have also allegedly been scouting and filming footage that would be used to decipher their in-game signals. It is against NCAA regulations to scout in person.

Connor Stalions decided to depart because the team was concerned about information that had just come to light about his time at the University of Michigan, according to Brad Beckworth, the Stallions’ attorney, who spoke with The Athletic. He advised the school of this decision earlier today.

“He hopes that by stepping down, the team and coaching staff can concentrate on this Saturday’s game and the rest of the season.” In addition, Connor wishes to clarify that, to the best of his knowledge, neither Coach (Jim) Harbaugh nor any other staff member advised anybody to violate any rules or knew of any unethical behavior in relation to the recent claims of advanced scouting.

In order to discuss whether to punish the Michigan football team for the scouting and sign-stealing plan, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti met with athletic director Warde Manuel and President Santa Ono on Friday. During the Big Ten field hockey finals, Petitti was in Ann Arbor. Big Ten spokesman Diane Dietz confirmed to the AP that Petitti spoke with Ono and Warde, but she did not provide further details.

The 28-year-old Stalions, a U.S. Marine Corps captain who retired in 2013 and an alumnus of the US Naval Academy, is accused of purchasing tickets to over thirty games during the previous three seasons under his true identity. ESPN.com reports that scouting was done at 12 different Big Ten institutions and that internet usage and a paper trail were discovered. Later, Stallions extended the scheme by sending tickets to individuals across the country and by using television broadcasts. If the Stallion was not playing against Michigan State, Central Michigan is looking into it.

Two weeks ago, the university placed Stalions on paid leave. The NCAA is also investigating the claims. Jim Harbaugh, the coach of Michigan, has denied any knowledge of the sign-stealing plot. Purdue and the second-ranked Wolverines are set to play on Saturday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan was ranked third in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, which were released on Tuesday. Ohio State, a Big Ten foe, and Georgia, the two-time reigning national champion, were ahead of Michigan.

Who is Connor Stalions?

Amidst the inquiry, Connor Stalions, an off-field analyst from Michigan, has been designated as a “person of interest” by the NCAA. According to ESPN, as part of the investigation, detectives even attempted to access the Stalions’ computer.

Despite being a “low-level staffer” at Michigan and a former captain in the USMC, Stalions is allegedly a key player in the NCAA investigation into the football team.

Connor Stalions manifesto

You cannot claim Stalions is not a driven individual. The 28-year-old was one of a few low-level employees that developed a “long-term strategy to operate the Michigan football team,” according to Sports Illustrated.

The strategy was “managed daily” and was included in a document that was “between 550 and 600 pages” long. According to the source, Stalions called it “the Michigan manifesto.”