The Alabama Crimson Tide were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines and quarterback JJ McCarthy on Monday in an exciting overtime College Football Playoff semifinal match.
Many Alabama supporters accused the Michigan Wolverines of cheating to help secure the huge victory, and Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan program have been dogged by a sign-stealing scam for the entire season.
Michigan was involved in an alleged sign-stealing scheme in November that involved in-person, illegal scouting of opponents dating back up to three seasons.
The Big Ten Conference, of which Michigan is a member, and the NCAA both carried out thorough investigations. Jim Harbaugh, the coach, has denied having any knowledge of any unethical scouting tactics used in his team.
Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti, who took over the position approximately six months ago following a career in Major League Baseball and television, decided to act more quickly even before the investigation was finished. He forbade Harbaugh from coaching in the team’s final three regular-season games, which included a crucial matchup against Penn State, which was ranked ninth in the nation at the time.
Nick Saban, the head coach of the Crimson Tide, was questioned about possible sign stealing prior to the Rose Bowl game against Alabama.
Without hesitating, Saban responded, expressing his belief that there would be no problem.
No, that’s not really a concern for us. said Saban. “I believe that integrity is extremely, extremely important in the game. Like they do for every other game, our team has had ample opportunity to prepare for this one. I believe that you have to modify and tweak how you communicate with the quarterback, particularly on a no-huddle team. Hopefully one day we’ll get to the NFL system where you can just talk to the guy in his helmet. I
