If NCAA Had Any Fortitude, They'd Tell Michigan To Kick Rocks On 'Self-Imposed' Suspension Of Sherrone Moore

Two years after the college football world was turned into a frenzy over the Connor Stalions ‘signgate’ ordeal, Michigan is preparing to suspend head coach Sherrone Moore for two games during the 2025 season. 

Alright, congratulations Michigan, you have decided to get out in front of the upcoming Committee On Infractions hearing by acting as if suspending your head coach for games that don't involve Oklahoma is a harsh penalty. 

But, there's one big problem that comes with letting it be known that you are preparing to punish your head coach for deleting messages pertaining to the investigation around Connor Stalions. Why would the NCAA allow a school to dictate their own punishment, if you have enough evidence to punish the sitting head coach and continue dragging this along? 

Yes, there have been behind-the-scenes negotiations going on between both sides. And, there are punishments that both sides aren't willing to budge on, which happens during these types of situations. Just ask the University of Tennessee. 

Sherrone Moore Expected To Be Suspended For Two Games Of Michigan's 2025 Season, But On Wolverines Terms

Jim Harbaugh left everyone at Michigan behind to deal with the mess that turned into one of the wildest stories we've seen in recent college football history. 

It's like that scene in the opening of Dark Knight Rises, when Bane needs one of his mercenaries to die in the wreckage so that the CIA would have someone to take the fall. 

For the second time in three years, Sherrone Moore will be punished for something that has to do with Michigan football. First it was for his involvement in what the NCAA deemed recruiting infractions. 

Sherrone Moore Will Occur His Second Suspension In Three Seasons

Now, being that Moore is a repeat offender, the school is getting ahead of its final meeting with the NCAA and letting it be known that they are going to suspend the head coach for two games this season. But, just when you thought it couldn't get any crazier, Michigan is going to allow him to miss the 3rd and 4th games of the season, but not punish him by keeping him off the sidelines when the Wolverines travel to Oklahoma, where Sherrone Moore attended college.

How's that for curtailing the system? Oh, and don't forget that the NCAA doesn't have to agree to these terms. If they wanted to, they infractions committee could hammer Sherrone Moore with a longer suspension for deleting text messages to and from Connor Stalions, when the news first broke that Michigan was going to be embroiled in a massive ordeal that centered around its football program. 

But, what you are seeing from the Wolverines athletic department is them trying to control the narrative on how they think this situation should end. Do I agree with all of this? I'm not on the NCAA's infractions committee, so it doesn’t really matter. 

However, if you want to send a message that we will not tolerate any type of ‘cheating’ or skirting of the rules when it comes to an investigation, maybe the punishment is a little harsher. Maybe you don't allow Moore to coach against his lama mater during the second week of the season. Maybe you shouldn't float this punishment to gauge the feedback of the infractions' committee by making it look as though you are taking this seriously by handing down a suspension that doesn't go into effect until the third week of the 2025 season. 

I don't know, I'm just spitballing here. 

But what I do know is that we see this type of stuff in college athletics all the time, where a school will self-impose penalties on itself in the hope that the NCAA will agree not to drop the heaviest hammer. Make no mistake, this was a ploy by the school to test the infractions' committee, hoping that their ‘proactive thinking’ would be enough to satisfy those who will hand down the penalties. 

Michigan Is Trying To Say ‘I’m The Captain Now' With NCAA

All Michigan has done is make this look like they aren't taking this seriously. To be honest, I'd be sick of the NCAA by now as well. The coach who would seemingly take the fall is never returning to college football, so it's up to Sherrone Moore to ultimately bite the entire bullet. 

And no, he should not have deleted text messages involving Connor Stalions. That was the main reason we are sitting here today talking about an upcoming suspension. 

How do you think the Big Ten conference feels about this? The Wolverines won't have their head coach for the Nebraska game, if this suspension is agreed to. So, I wonder what the main storyline will be when the Cornhuskers and Wolverines open Big Ten conference play? 

The point is that if the NCAA allows Michigan to dictate when the suspension will happen, which is seemingly awarding Sherrone Moore by allowing him to roam the sidelines against his former school, where's the real damage. 

I'm sick of hearing about the Connor Stalions ordeal, though I don't think the same could be said for Michigan opponents. But, now that we have the Wolverines declaring that they are intending to punish their head coach by having him suspended for the second half of September, we've lost the whole purpose of punishing someone to begin with. 

Sure, allow Michigan to dictate the terms of this mess. We all know the enforcement arm of the NCAA is falling off anyways. But, if they actually wanted to send a message to the Wolverines, the Committee on Infractions would tell Michigan to kick rocks on the idea that they could manifest its own punishment. 

Hopefully, after the two-day hearing in June, we can finally put this ‘signgate’ saga behind us and wait for ESPN to release a 30-for-30 on everything that transpired at Michigan during the Harbaugh era.