The sign-stealing issue that has lingered over Michigan’s season has overshadowed the team’s efforts to go
undefeated and advance to the College Football Playoff championship game, quarterback J.J. McCarthy said
Wednesday.
Michigan faces Washington for the national championship on Monday in Houston, as the NCAA investigates
allegations that the Wolverines violated NCAA rules by having a staff member conduct in-person advance scouting
and using video equipment to pick off future opponents’ play-call signs from the sideline over three years, including
this season.
When asked about the likelihood of the NCAA requiring Michigan to vacate wins during a CFP media teleconference,
McCarthy said it would be bad if the athletes did not receive recognition for their accomplishments.
“But at the end of the day,” he went on to say, “it’s not going to change the amount of accomplishment and the
amount of pride for being on this football team and just everything that we accomplished because we know what we
put in, we know the work that we’ve put in, and we know that we did things the right way as players.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh avoided a question about potential punishments, saying he is focused on the game versus
Washington.
“I don’t know if you want to live in rumorville or speculation, but we just don’t really have any room to be doing that
at this point,” he went on to say. “That’s done elsewhere.”
The NCAA does not explicitly prohibit sign stealing, but there are regulations prohibiting utilizing electronic
equipment to record an opponent’s signals and in-person, advanced scouting of future opponents during the season.
There are also rules prohibiting unsportsmanlike or unethical behavior by coaches, and head coaches are often held
accountable for offenses that occur under them.
The Big Ten punished Harbaugh for the remaining three regular-season games after he violated the conference’s
sportsmanship rules. Harbaugh has denied any knowledge of sign-stealing actions. Michigan banned Harbaugh for
the first three games of the season following allegations of recruiting irregularities.
