NCAA confirms Connor Stalions was on Michigan State’s sideline for CMU game

We finally don’t need to speculate what happened last fall during the Michigan State football game vs. Central Michigan when Michigan staff member Connor Stalions was accused of being in disguise on Central’s sideline.

The allegations of sign stealing and spying have run rampant since this news broke last October, and these allegations have tainted Michigan’s first national championship this century. But now we no longer need to wonder what happened as the NCAA released a report confirming what happened during the Spartans' first game last season.

Unfortunately, we still don’t know how Stalions gained access to Central’s sideline, but that doesn’t feel as important right now. What we know is that he was there, even though many Michigan Wolverines were convinced he wasn’t.

So what happens next for Michigan State?

For starters, there needs to be serious conversations about Michigan State’s relationship with Central going forward. Can MSU trust Central enough to play them in football again? Does Central need to repay the money MSU paid them to play last season’s game? Should Michigan State play Central in any sport going forward?

These questions may seem silly, but they are more than valid. Especially when Central Michigan AD Amy Folan hasn’t said one word about this investigation to this day.

Then Michigan State needs to think about Michigan. MSU has no control over when they would play Michigan in any sport (and frankly I don’t want to stop playing them), but something needs to be done about that relationship, too. But unfortunately, the only people who can resolve that relationship reside in Ann Arbor.

As of today, it appears no Michigan coaches were involved in Stalion’s scheme, but that doesn’t mean they’re off the hook. Even the NCAA can still punish Michigan if Stalions was in fact a lone wolf. But regardless of all of that, a Michigan staff member was still illegally on Michigan State’s opponents' sideline, so it really doesn’t matter if Michigan’s staff knew about it or not. MSU at the very minimum is owed an apology from their in-state rival.

My guess is that won’t ever come from that school down the road. So all that’s left to do is wait for the investigation to play out and see how the NCAA handles it and if any punishments are handed out to Michigan or Central.