Michigan football is at it again—trying to control the narrative.
According to multiple reports, the Wolverines are planning to suspend head coach Sherrone Moore for two games in 2025 as a self-imposed punishment tied to the sign-stealing scandal that rocked the program last season.
Moore’s suspension will conveniently come during games against Central Michigan and Nebraska—not exactly the toughest competition on the schedule. Even more convenient? He’s allowed to coach against Oklahoma in Week 2, which just so happens to be a major non-conference matchup and one with sentimental value for Moore, who played for the Sooners in the mid-2000s. This doesn’t feel like accountability. It feels like strategy.
The NCAA can’t let this slide
Let’s be real here—Michigan doesn’t get to pick its punishment and call it a day. That’s not how this is supposed to work. The NCAA isn’t perfect, but if it still wants to be taken seriously, it has to send a clear message that self-imposed slaps on the wrist won’t be enough when the allegations involve serious wrongdoing and attempts to destroy evidence.
The biggest red flag in all of this is the report that Moore deleted a thread of 52 text messages with Connor Stalions, the central figure in the sign-stealing scandal. If true, that’s not just poor judgment—it’s obstruction. It shows intent to cover up and avoid accountability, which should trigger far more than a soft two-game timeout against lesser opponents.
It’s also worth remembering that Michigan didn’t exactly roll over and accept the allegations when they first came down. In fact, they fought them tooth and nail, even accusing the NCAA of “grossly overreaching.” So if the school truly believed there was no wrongdoing, why suspend anyone? The answer is simple: they know something is coming, and this is a preemptive move to soften the blow.
The problem is, if the NCAA accepts this and doesn’t issue further penalties, they’re basically handing over disciplinary power to the schools. That’s a dangerous precedent. It tells every major program that all they have to do is serve a punishment during cupcake games and then move on like nothing happened.
Moore isn’t the only one tied to this mess, but he’s the one in the hot seat now. And his role—especially the alleged deletion of messages—makes this a much bigger deal than Michigan would like to admit. This isn’t a case where the punishment should end with whatever the school feels comfortable handing out. It’s a case where the NCAA must act, and if it doesn’t, it may as well admit it has no real power left.