Ann Arbor — NCAA investigators now have access to cell phones and tablets from Michigan coaches, presumably to search for any evidence of communication or collusion with suspended low-level staffer Connor Stalions, who allegedly illegally obtained opponents’ sideline play-call signals.
Several sources told The Detroit News on Wednesday that the phones and tablets were obtained by the NCAA this week. Investigators obtain the data from those devices via mirroring, which projects the contents to another device. The next step in the NCAA process is conducting interviews, which could begin in the next few days, and investigators likely will start with Stalions to then determine how to proceed.
And later:
Acquiring data from phones and tablets is a typical first approach by NCAA investigators as they launch their fact-finding mission. They also often request emails and laptops, but investigators have not yet requested those from the Michigan coaches. According to reports last Friday, NCAA investigators requested access to Stalions’ laptop.
“More easily accessible to the NCAA will be the cell phones and emails of everybody on Michigan's football staff, if the NCAA follows standard practice,” Stu Brown, an attorney who represents schools in NCAA cases, told The Detroit News. “When the NCAA says, 'We want your phone records,' if you say no, they go to the Committee on Infractions before there's even a hearing and penalize you for that.
“To the extent there's still content on those, I wouldn't know, but the more people who are involved in any type of enterprise, the more people tend to get sloppy. And that will be an avenue that the enforcement staff really looks to go through. And the enforcement staff will probably have an intern someplace poring through a million Michigan football emails or text messages or whatever electronic stuff they have to see if there's some indicator (from messages) that, ‘I was at the Penn State-Ohio State game last week, and I saw that when they tip their hat three times and pull their ear it means they're running the power sweep,’ or whatever it is. Maybe there won't be any of that. But, that will be looked for.”
