NCAA reveals Connor Stalions spent $35,000 on tickets to games of Michigan opponents

The NCAA released its report on the Michigan Football program after its Committee of Infractions meeting on Friday, relating to its 2023 sign-stealing case. A press release from the NCAA revealed that the program has been hit with various penalties, such as a fine, multiple years of probation and an additional game of suspension for coach Sherrone Moore in 2026.

Along with Moore’s suspension, former head coach Jim Harbaughreceived a 10-year show cause and former staffer Connor Stalionsreceived an eight-year show cause. Along with Stalions’ show cause, the report revealed some unbelievable info on how he went about orchestrating the sign-stealing scandal.

“A copy of Stalions’ financial information obtained from his work computer indicated that he spent nearly $35,000 on tickets that he purchased via the secondary ticket market in 2022,” the report read. “Each of these transactions was listed as being a work expense with the description ‘Tickets for Michigan Football.’ In addition to purchasing the tickets, the case record also indicated that Stalions paid for some individuals’ travel and lodging in conjunction with their attendance at games. Stalions never sought reimbursement for any of these expenses from Michigan.”

Stalions referred to his group of individuals as the ‘KGB’

“When asked how he funded the purchase of the tickets, Stalions insisted that he did it himself,” the report continued. “At the hearing, Stalions explained that he made a significant amount of money by renting out and later selling his home in California. Stalions also asserted that at least a portion of the tickets are for professional sports or college football games that did not involve Michigan’s future opponents.”

“In those cases, Stalions stated that he either purchased the tickets for personal use or resold them to earn additional income. However, Stalions did acknowledge that at least some of the tickets pertained to future opponents, and he gave tickets to KGB members who then provided him with film.”

That is correct; Connor Stallions referred to his network of individuals as the ‘KGB’. This is a reference to the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, which was the security agency for the Soviet Union from 1954 until it fell in December 1991.

Along with revealing Stalions’ secret network of “KGB members,” the NCAA also confirmed that he did, in fact, attend the Michigan State–Central Michigan game in 2023.

“On one occasion in 2023, Stalions personally engaged in-person scouting when he stood on Central Michigan University’s sideline wearing a bench pass and disguised in Central Michigan-issued coaching gear during the institution’s contest against Michigan State,” the report read. “According to interview statements by a former football staff member, Stalions attended that game in part to decipher Michigan State’s signals, but also to help a Central Michigan staff member with play calling.”