Connor Stalions is on the record, and he is not sorry.
“I puton’t remorse a thing, and I would do the exactsame thing over onceagain,” Stalions stated in a brand-new Netflix documentary entitled “Untold: Sign Stealer,” which released on Tuesday.
Stalions, of course, hasactually been at the center of an NCAA examination into an in-person hunting and sign-stealing operation he is declared to have run at the University of Michigan.
The NCAA hasactually provided a notification of accusations to the school. Sanctions might follow. Fans shouting for an admission of regret from Stalions and U-M will not get one.
What must be a story about the finest Michigan group of all-time endedupbeing a story about Stalions rather. His story is not just remarkable, however hasactually been primarily informed through 2nd and third-hand accounts.
Stalions was raised to be a Michigan fan by Michigan superfans.
“We are crazed Michigan fans,” Stalions’ mom, Kelly, stated in the documentary.
Featured in the documentary is video of Stalions weeping after Michigan won the 1997 nationwide title. As a kid, he dressed as Michigan coach Bo Schembechler for Halloween. Later, he chose to serve in the U.S. armed forces since he assoonas read that 15 of the 20 top coaches of all-time had served in the military.
And that was the factor he selected to pursue visit and choice to the Naval Academy.
Stalions veryfirst started figuringout challenger signals on his veryfirst videogame day as a trainee coach at Navy on August 30, 2014 — versus Ohio State. Four years lateron, he finished, signedupwith the U.S. Marines and made the rank of captain. And he still held close his aspiration to coach at Michigan.
“There’s so much drive with this kid,” stated Detroit News pressreporter Tony Paul in the movie, “maybe too much drive.”
Stalions veryfirst made contact with the Michigan training personnel at a big center. After conference previous Michigan assistant Chris Partridge, he started interning with the group, and he used to contribute as their sign-stealer.
He called his task “intel operations personnel member”, and he thoughtabout Michigan to be at the bottom of an developed intelligence neighborhood. Importantly, he served in the marines while doing volunteer work for the group for 3 years.
While he was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California, he’d travel to Michigan videogames — on his own cent — fulfill with the group and stand on the sideline to decipher signals.
Over time, he produced videogame day sign-stealing sheets on Michigan’s challengers. In overall, he utilized inbetween 2,000 and 3,000 signals as referral. To achieve this, he videoed himself. He cut the images of himself out, and lookedat and remembered them. Stalions’ development corresponded with Michigan’s historical three-year run that culminated in a 15-0 nationwide title run in 2023.
In 2022, his contributions to the group resulted in him being granted a videogame ball, offered to him by Jim Harbaugh, after U-M’s 2022 triumph versus Iowa.
He composed a manifesto — thousands of pages of what he thinks is a competitive benefit. But he declares he discovered other groups’ signals by utilizing the exactsame indicates as anybody else in the insulated, private world of college football sign-stealing.
“I’ve neverever advanced hunted,” he stated in the movie. “I get signals the verysame method every other group does. What sets me apart is the method in which I arrange details and procedure it on videogame day.”
However, after Michigan was captured unfaithful in 2023, Stalions made himself limited and distanced himself from the program.
Stalions’ lawyer, Brad Beckworth, declared in the documentary that Michigan dripped that Stalions hadactually been fired just after Stalions notified the university in writing that he had resigned.
What’s most glaring to me is that Michigan guy Dave Portnoy is the most pleasant, truthful and genuine individual in the whole documentary. He understands Michigan cheated. He understands Stalions cheated. And he likes it. He enjoys that a Michigan expert did what was essential to not simply beat Ohio State 3 years in a row, however to win the nationwide title.
Portnoy states that Stalions informed him he was the guy in camouflage on the Central Michigan sideline in a now notorious picture taken before Michigan played Central Michigan in 2023.
But when Stalions was asked about the verysame picture and whether it was him, he respondedto, “I puton’t even believe this guy looks like me.” He did not keep a straight face when he stated so.
Michigan HC Sherrone Moore implicated of off-campus hunting
Even after openly distancing himself from Michigan’s football program, Stalions wentto the Ohio State-Michigan videogame last year.
At the center of the examination into this scandal is Stalions’ uncommon purchase of tickets to 30 videogames, consistingof 11 at Big Ten arenas, over the last 3 years. He declares he purchased tickets to so lotsof videogames since he likes viewing college football.
An exterior law company carriedout an examination that led to the discovery of files of videogames hunted — and individuals being paid to scout them who had ties to Stalions. Stalions declared his individual computersystem was hacked for info. On April 24, 2024, he was talkedto by the NCAA with regard to its continuous examination.
He rejected the claims.
RJ Young is a nationwide college football author and expert for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.
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