Ex-Michigan staffer Connor Stalions purchased tickets to 12 Ohio State home football games
Connor Stalions, the former Michigan football staff member who is the central figure in an NCAA investigation into whether the Wolverines conducted an impermissible sign-stealing operation, purchased tickets to at least 12 games at Ohio Stadium over three seasons, according to ticket records obtained Wednesday by The Dispatch in response to a public records request.
Stalions first bought two tickets to Ohio State’s rout of Maryland in October 2021. The seats were located in Section 22AA, which is near the field around the 50-yard line and across from the Buckeyes’ sideline, as were others for games the following month against Purdue and Michigan State.
Connor Stalions bought most tickets last year
Most of the purchases by Stalions were made last year, when he bought tickets for games against Notre Dame, Arkansas State, Toledo, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Michigan. He also obtained tickets for games this season against Western Kentucky, Maryland and Penn State.
Locations for tickets in 11 of the 12 games at Ohio Stadium were on the west side of the stadium in Sections 22 and 20, which have a direct line of sight to the Buckeyes’ sideline. Most were low in A Deck seating, while tickets for the games this year against Maryland and Penn State were in C Deck.
In nearly all instances, the tickets were forwarded to others or resold on the secondary market, the school’s records show. The tickets for this year's game against Penn State and last year's game against Toledo were not scanned for entry.
The Penn State game followed an ESPN report last month that Stalions bought tickets to more than 30 college football games over a three-year period from 11 different Big Ten schools.
Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal
Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal came to light in October when the Big Ten announced it had informed the Wolverines' upcoming opponents UM had possibly broken a three-decades-old NCAA rule.
Bylaw 11.6.1, passsed in 1994, prohibits “off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season).” Further, the NCAA rulebook states: ”Any attempt to record, either through audio or video means, any signals given by an opposing player, coach or other team personnel is prohibited.”
Efforts to decode opponents' signals outside of those prohibitions are allowed, but the NCAA's allegations were that Stalions and a network of helpers attended games to record opponents' signals on the sideline.
Timeline of Michigan sign-stealing: Here's what we know about Ohio State and the Michigan sign-stealing scandal
On Oct. 27, a former Division III player told ESPN that he was paid to attend Big Ten games by Stalions, including 2022 Rutgers and Penn State games and the Nittany Lions’ game against Massachusetts this season.
The day after the Big Ten's Oct. 18 announcement, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement saying, in part, that he had no knowledge or information about anyone inside the program participating in off-campus scouting.
Stalions resigned from Michigan on Nov. 3, saying he did not want to be a distraction. He had previously been suspended with pay. He has denied Harbaugh or anyone else in the program told anyone to break the rules.
The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season, including last week’s game against Ohio State in which the Buckeyes suffered a 30-24 loss. Harbaugh had been allowed to coach during the week, but not on gameday due to what the conference deemed a violation of its Sportsmanship Policy.
He is to return to the sidelines for the Big Ten championship game on Saturday when the Wolverines face Iowa.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Connor Stalions purchased tickets to Ohio State home football games
