Former Ohio State star Dawand Jones on Michigan scandal: 'A little demoralizing'
The college football world was rocked over the last week when news broke of an elaborate sign-stealing scandal performed by Michigan, a current top-five team.
In the days afterwards, some players who have competed against the Wolverines over the last few years have come forward to denounce the behavior and regret having to play UM whilst they were sign-stealing. Particularly, former Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones has gone public with his frustrations over the cheating that likely happened during the last two games between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
Jones is now a member of the Browns, and this week, Cleveland sports reporter Tom Withers caught up with the mammoth offensive lineman and former OSU star to ask his thoughts on the news of Michigan’s dastardly schemes.
“It’s just sad to see it,” said Jones. “We’re kids at the end of the day, and you don’t want to cheat a kid out of a chance to showcase their skills on a national level. It’s just sad to see that.”
Per Withers, he added that having another team know what play you’re going to run is “a little demoralizing.”
Apparently, Jones also insinuated that the team has suspicions that Michigan was stealing signs but they couldn’t completely adjust. “He said Buckeyes suspected Wolverines had their sideline signs last year and made some changes but couldn’t change everything,” added Withers.
Obviously, this one is personal for Dawand Jones after he’s now learned that the rival that beat his team twice in a row certainly seems to have cheated to help do so.
Ohio State the most frequently scouted team by Michigan sign-stealers
More and more details are coming to light regarding the sign-stealing investigation at Michigan. Wednesday evening, the Washington Post’s Will Hobson reported an outside investigative firm obtained documents and videos, which started the investigation.
The firm went to the NCAA with the information, which came from computer drives that were maintained and accessed by multiple Michigan coaches. In addition, it found a schedule that showed the travel plans, opposing team’s schedules, a budget for travel and tickets, and which games the scouts would attend. The firm also presented the NCAA with photos that appear to show the scouts at games, including current Michigan students who are doing internships with the football team.
The top team on the list, according to the Washington Post, was rival Ohio State. Scouts planned to attend up to eight games and spend more than $3,000 on tickets and travel. Behind the Buckeyes was Georgia, and the plan was to again spend about $3,000 to attend “four or five games.”
All told, the Washington Post reported the plan called for about $15,000 spent to send 40 scouts to 10 opponents.