Ex-Michigan star says someone 'probably' out to get Wolverines in sign-stealing scandal
Former Michigan football star Aidan Hutchinson said the sign-stealing scandal at his alma mater is much ado about nothing, and neither he nor any of his ex-teammates had a relationship with Connor Stalions, the assistant allegedly at the center of the program's wrongdoing.
"I didn’t have a relationship with him," Hutchinson said Thursday. "He’s kind of just one of the coaches upstairs that you don’t really ever see, so I don’t think any of the players really had a relationship with him ever."
Stalions is in his second season as an off-field analyst at Michigan but volunteered with the program from 2015-22, ESPN reported. He was hired in May 2022 and has been on the sideline for games the past two seasons.
He was suspended this week amid allegations he was involved with a sign-stealing ring that included in-person scouting and videotaping of opponent sidelines, both of which are against NCAA rules. Stalions reportedly purchased tickets to games at 12 different Big Ten schools since 2021, as well as for the games of some of Michigan's potential College Football Playoff opponents.
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Hutchinson played at Michigan from 2018-21 and was the second pick in last year's draft by the Detroit Lions.
Asked Thursday what he made of the allegations against Michigan, Hutchinson said, "I don’t really know, man."
"They’re doing all their investigations and they’re coming at Michigan when Michigan’s got a shot to win the national championship this year, so I don’t know," he said. "It is what it is, I guess. The time will pass and people will forget about it and move on once we’re the champs again."
Ranked second in both polls ahead of next week's release of the first College Football Playoff rankings, Michigan (8-0) is tracking toward its third straight playoff appearance. The Wolverines host Purdue on Nov. 4, then close the regular season against No. 10 Penn State, Maryland and No. 3 Ohio State.
Hutchinson said he believes someone is out to get Michigan, though he did not specify whom.
"I mean, probably," he said. "Yeah, probably."
And he said the legal practice of sign-stealing is common in college football.
"People are always stealing signs in college football," Hutchinson said. "People stole our signs. Other Big Ten schools stole our signs. It’s just a thing when you’re in college football. Not any more than anybody else did as far as I'm concerned."
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ex-Michigan star Aidan Hutchinson: Someone 'probably' out to get U-M
