Quarterback J.J. McCarthy stated on Wednesday that the efforts made by Michigan to go undefeated and get to the College Football Playoff championship game have been eclipsed by the scandal around sign-stealing that has dogged the team’s season.
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 in violation of 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 may order Michigan to vacate victories during a CFP media teleconference, McCarthy responded that it would be bad if the athletes 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 punishments, head coach Jim Harbaugh said he was concentrating on the game versus Washington.
We really 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 utilizing technological devices to capture an opponent’s signals and against in-person, preparatory 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 punished by the Big Ten for the last three regular-season games after he disregarded the sportsmanship rules of the conference. Harbaugh has denied knowing anything about the act of stealing signs.Amid claims of recruiting breaches, 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.
Dave Ablauf, the associate athletic director for football communications at Michigan, did not reply right away to an email from the Associated Press asking McCarthy to clarify his remarks.
McCarthy and defensive lineman Mason Graham said they and their teammates put in significant time operating inside the rules to find clues about how opponents might react in different situations.
“We do watch so much film and look for those little tendencies and spend like 10, 15 minutes on one clip alone just looking at all the little details,” McCarthy said, referring to the posture of linebackers or defensive linemen and differences in where cornerbacks and safeties are lined up. “You could say it’s all sign stealing, but there’s a lot more that goes into play, and a lot of stuff that gets masked, a lot of work that gets masked just because of the outside perception of what sign stealing is all about.”
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