Michigan finds unlikely ally in Fox Sports' Joel Klatt as he shuts down the sign stealing controversy
At this point the Michigan sign stealing (or deciphering) controversy is getting a bit old. College football fans outside of Michigan just won't seem to let things go, making all sorts of claims about the 2023 season, acting as though it was fraudulent in some sort of capacity. But the reality is quite simple:Michigan had […]
At this point the Michigan sign stealing (or deciphering) controversy is getting a bit old. College football fans outside of Michigan just won't seem to let things go, making all sorts of claims about the 2023 season, acting as though it was fraudulent in some sort of capacity. But the reality is quite simple:
Michigan had an incredibly talented roster that won the national championship without Connor Stalions and their standard "sign stealing" operation in place when it mattered most.
This week on Colin Cowherd's show, Michigan finally found an unlikely ally among the national media in Fox Sports' Joel Klatt, who spoke some reason into the whole situation. But first, Cowherd actually framed things accurately when it came to Michigan's sign stealing operation:
"Michigan was miles behind with Harbaugh in [stealing signs]. So they had to find somebody (Connor Stalions) who could do that."
Many college football fans misunderstand sign stealing. Every single team does it. And it is completely within the rules to do so. Sign stealing by itself isn't the issue. And in fact, prior to Connor Stalions, Michigan was quite behind the times compared to most other programs when it came to deciphering sideline communication.
However, the question remains. Did Michigan break the rules with some excessive sign stealing operations that involved traveling to opponents' games weeks in advance? It sure looks like somebody (or many people) associated with the program did. But the thing is, Jim Harbaugh was already suspended for this. Connor Stalions was dismissed. And Michigan dominated down the stretch anyway.
Why are people still so concerned with this issue? Joel Klatt of Fox Sports weighed in, shutting down any remaining controversy (as you can see in the post below).
"People are saying, 'Oh, it was all the sign stealing!' And they totally throw out the last half of last season where they beat all those ranked teams without Stalions and without the operation, and they beat them worse. Were they stealing signs on fourth down against Alabama in the Rose Bowl? Get out of here."
This shouldn't really be a story anymore at this point. The Connor Stalions documentary came out. An investigation is still underway. But regardless of what is found, who needs to be punished at this point? Harbaugh already was, and now he's gone. And with all the issues today surrounding player compensation (or the lack thereof), stealing players in the portal, and more, why is this one sign stealing issue still months later being overblown? Klatt continued:
"They broke the rules, and I think they should be punished accordingly, and have been…But to act like sign stealing is somehow the biggest issue in the outcome of all of these games is just naive and not true."
Not only does it require a certain level of ignorance to suggest that the sign stealing is somehow this big issue (especially down the stretch last year), it's also silly to suggest that most every other team in the nation isn't engaging in sign stealing. And not just legal sign stealing, but the kind that would likely prove to be in violation of rules as well (as mentioned in the Connor Stalions documentary).
Klatt hinted at the rumblings that have continued to emerge on TCU's potential sign stealing operation ahead of the playoff game from two years ago as well.
"There's at least rumblings that TCU had help in the playoff game [against Michigan]. That's what it is!"
The truth of the matter is the entire sign stealing scandal was overblown in the first place. Michigan fans know it. Most every objective college football fan knows it at this point. And it finally sounds like national media members are coming around on this too.
Be looking for more Michigan Wolverines Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
