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Now-Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover said in an interview with Landry Locker that he didn't need to watch the documentary "Sign Stealer" because he experienced it firsthand. The film covers the story of Connor Stalions, also known as the Michigan sign-stealer.
Stover had already moved past the issue, but he shared how he and his teammates realized something unusual was happening.
"When they started yelling, 'screen' when you're throwing a tight end screen," Stover said, referencing a play from 2022. "That's when you think, 'What the [expletive] is this? We've never run this before.'"
Despite criticizing Michigan's actions, Stover acknowledges that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose in sports, and in this case, he lost, so he made it clear that it's not an excuse. The tight end also recalled that the Wolverines have been superior to the Buckeyes since 2019, before Stalions was part of Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh was the head coach of the University of Michigan from 2014 to 2023, so he was aware of Connor Stalions' actions within the Wolverines. Harbaugh is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
What is the "Sign Stealer" story?
The NCAA allows signals to be decoded while watching a game in real time or reviewing video recordings. What is prohibited is sending spies to collect information on rival teams to devise game strategies.
Since childhood, Connor Stalions dreamed of becoming the head coach of the University of Michigan's football team, so, like other coaches, he went through the Naval Academy.
In 2021, he was hired by Michigan, where he received full to decipher rival teams' signals. Stalions traveled across the country studying rival teams and creating databases to give his team an edge against their opponents.
By 2022, the Wolverines achieved a 13-1 record, losing in the playoffs to TCU.
"I don't break the rules. I exploit them." Stalions said.
What happened to Stalions?
In October 2023, an NCAAinvestigation began against Michigan for violations related to sign stealing. Connor Stalions resigned from Jim Harbaughs coaching staff a month later after for being discovered buying tickets to spy on his opponents. It was also revealed that he had sent part of the staff to various games to record opponents' signals.