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The Michigan Wolverines football program, former head coach Jim Harbaugh, current head coach Sherrone Moore and former defensive analyst Connor Stallions were handed a significant fine in relation to their sign-stealing scandal on Friday (August 15), according to a report obtained by ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel.
Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback who coached the Wolverines to a College Football Playoff national championship before taking over as the Los Angeles Chargers' head coach in 2024, was levied a 10-year show-cause penalty, while the program lost two years of postseason football revenue, but avoided a postseason ban. Moore, who was Harbaugh's offensive coordinator and acting head coach in his suspension absence during his final season with the program, was given a third game suspension for the 2025 season.
Michigan had previously levied a self-imposed two-game suspension for Moore, which were already set to take place during Weeks 3 and 4, when the Wolverines are scheduled to face Central Michigan and Nebraska, respectively, ESPN reported earlier this year. Moore will reportedly be barred from any team-related duties during the game weeks of his suspensions and receive additional recruiting-related penalties.
Moore went 8-5 (5-4 Big Ten) during his first season as Michigan's full-time head coach, which included an upset of arch rival and eventual national champion Ohio State, as well as a 19-13 win against Alabama in the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl. Stallions, resigned from his position as Michigan's defensive analyst after being accused of sending people to opponents' games to record signs, was levied an 8-year-cause penalty.
Michigan's reported fine was described as being "considerable" although an exact number was not available, though sources project the number is based on past Big Ten revenues, which exceed $20 million and may be more than $25 million, but likely to depend on the team's performance within the conference.