Bacon on football: Michigan sign-stealing scandal continues as Wolverines’ schedule heats up

The University of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal remains far from resolved.

This week, the Big Ten Conference issued a notice of its intent to discipline Michigan. U of M responded in a letter that reportedly questioned the speed of the process, the Big Ten’s authority, and more. Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti has yet to respond.

Michigan Radio sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing scandal and other sports news.

Saturday’s games: Michigan at Penn State – Noon
Michigan State at Ohio State – 7:30 p.m.

Doug Tribou: John, some of our listeners have jobs and kids and other obligations that keep them from following every twist and turn of this scandal. So just to clarify for them, the Big Ten Conference is considering its own punishments for Michigan. This is separate from any response by the NCAA, which is expected to take much longer. What are the possible penalties the Big Ten could hand down here?

John U. Bacon: Well, to give your busy listeners a quick handle on this one, nobody knows anything. So if anybody tells you they know what’s going to happen, knows what the Big Ten or the NCAA is going to do, or how Michigan is going to respond, or what’s going to happen to the football team or Jim Harbaugh, they’re lying. Nobody knows. So how’s that for a helpful little guide as we go forward?

DT: There are also reports out that other Big Ten schools engaged in sign-stealing efforts of their own and shared their findings about Michigan’s signs with each another. On top of that 11 Michigan state legislators sent a bi-partisan letter to the Big Ten urging the conference to focus on due process. In all of this chaos, is the bottom line really a tainted season for Michigan?

JUB: That depends entirely on whom you ask, and that will be sorted out as the weeks go on as to the relative level of guilt and so on. But sports like politics has become very tribal. I guarantee you Michigan fans see it one way and Spartan and Buckeye fans see it another.

I will say this: the big development this week has been a 10-page response from the University of Michigan to the Big Ten. And I have to tell you, Doug, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Now, I’m not a lawyer. I went to law school for 5 minutes. You don’t get credit for that, it turns out. But they have basically just torn apart the Big Ten’s process and [the conference’s] email limb by limb. It’s just been incredible. The fight is on. I’ve never seen Michigan push back like this. And the Big Ten was talking about disciplining Michigan this week. They’ve now gone surprisingly quiet.