Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti calls for Michigan sign-stealing punishment to end

Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti is calling for an end to the Michigan sign-stealing saga. He sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions in an effort where he stated his belief that the Wolverines deserved no further punishment for the matter, according to Dan Wetzel of ESPN.

“[Tony] Petitti has sent a letter to the NCAA Committee on Infractions arguing that Michigan deserved no further punishment in a case focusing on the actions of former staffer Connor Stalions,” Wetzel wrote. “The letter was read at an early June infractions committee hearing in Indianapolis, multiple sources told ESPN. The NCAA has charged Michigan with 11 rule violations, six of them Level 1, which is classified as the most serious. The committee has yet to hand down a ruling, but one is expected before the 2025 season. It does not have to follow or even consider Petitti’s opinion.

“The Big Ten confirmed to ESPN that Petitti sent the letter and said he would have attended in person but was recovering at the time from hip replacement surgery. The NCAA and Michigan are prohibited from commenting on a pending case. Petitti declined comment through a league spokesperson.”

Per Wetzel’s sources, the Big Ten commissioner argued that the conference already sufficiently punished Michigan with their suspension of then-coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season. Even without their coach though, the Wolverines won all three games on their way towards a national championship.

As a bit of an olive branch, Wetzel noted that “Michigan has proposed suspending current coach Sherrone Moore for the third and fourth game of the 2025 season for deleting a thread of text messages with Stalions as the scandal broke,” he wrote. “Moore was the team’s offensive coordinator at the time. The NCAA was able to retrieve the texts, and Moore was not charged with having any knowledge of Stalions’ actions.”

Still, the NCAA could still deliver the program a myriad of penalties. Wetzel reported that it could range from vacating past victories, a postseason ban, the suspension of coaches, a monetary fine or other measures.

Additionally, the NCAA could also punish individuals, including Harbaugh (now the coach of the Los Angeles Chargers), Stalions and others, ESPN noted. Petitti’s letter did not address that, according to Wetzel.

Some may believe Michigan hasn’t paid for their sins, but Tony Petitti thinks the Wolverines should be in the clear. Whether or not the NCAA agrees or not remains to be seen, but it’s certainly an interesting development ahead of Big Ten Media Days this week.