Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has issued a statement following news that the NCAA is investigating whether the Wolverines improperly used in-person scouting to steal signs from opponents during the football season.
Harbaugh said that he never directed staff to engage in improper conduct, and said that his staff would fully cooperate with the NCAA's investigation.
Here is his full statement:
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
“I want to make it clear that I, and my staff, will fully cooperate with the investigation into this matter.
“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment. I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action.
“I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.
“No matter what program or organization that I have led throughout my career, my instructions and awareness of how we scout opponents have always been firmly within the rules.
Big Ten
“Pursuant to NCAA rules, I will not be able to comment further while this investigation takes place.”
The Big Ten confirmed Thursday that the NCAA is conducting the investigation into the allegations, which hold that Michigan used in-person scouts to obtain signals and signs that other teams use to relay plays to players on the field.
“The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance, and will continue to monitor the investigation,” officials from the conference said in a statement.
The conference said it had notified Michigan State and the remaining opponents on the Wolverines’ schedule, a group that includes currently undefeated Penn State and Ohio State.
“The university is fully cooperating with the Big Ten and NCAA,” a spokesperson for the university said. “The investigation is ongoing, and will not impact Saturday’s game. At the University of Michigan, we are committed to the highest ethical and integrity standards for all members of our community.”
According to a report from Yahoo’s Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellinger, Michigan is accused of using “unnamed individuals to attend games of both scheduled opponents and possible College Football Playoff opponents in an effort to gather information on the signs they use to call both offensive and defensive plays.”
The report cites a 1994 rule that prohibits in-person scouting by teams.
Wetzel and Dellinger’s report indicated that at least two teams Michigan has played this season were “aware that Michigan knew their play signs.”