Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy estimated that 80% of college football programs are engaged in sign stealing.
Ohio State was legally stealing Michigan's signs from 2019 to 2020 according to NCAA rules.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy has estimated that 80% of college football programs are engaged in sign stealing, including Michigan's biggest rival Ohio State. In 2019 and 2020, Ohio State was legally stealing Michigan's signs which is legal according to NCAA rules. However, the Wolverines had to adapt their sign-stealing tactics to keep up with Ohio State. The team has been accused of stealing signs from other teams in the past and a former staffer was suspended for coordinating the scheme to compile video footage of signals shot from the stands.
Michigan is playing for a national title in the College Football Playoff against Washington on Monday night.
In 2019 and 2020, Ohio State was stealing Michigan's signs which is legal according to NCAA rules.
Former staffer named Connor Stalions allegedly coordinated a scheme that violated NCAA rules by compiling video footage of other teams' signals shot from the stands, which was later suspended and resigned but attended the Rose Bowl as a fan.
Deception
(50%)
The article contains a statement by J.J. McCarthy that Ohio State stole Michigan's signs in 2019 which is not supported by any evidence presented in the article and therefore it is deceptive.
It’s just so unfortunate because, I don’t want to say a crazy number, but I’d say a good number, 80 percent,
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author makes a false dilemma by stating that sign stealing is legal and acceptable when it is not. He also uses an appeal to authority by citing the NCAA's investigation into potential rules violations without providing any evidence or context for their findings.
The author states,
Bias
(85%)
The author does not demonstrate any political, religious or monetary bias. However the article disproportionately quotes JJ McCarthy who accuses Ohio State of stealing Michigan's signs in 2019.
It’s just so unfortunate because, I don’t want to say a crazy number, but I’d say a good number, 80 percent, of the teams in college football steal signs. It’s just a thing about football. It’s been around for years.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the theft of Michigan's signs by Ohio State during a college football game in 2019. The author is JJ McCarthy who has a personal relationship with Nick Saban and Mason Graham as they were both members of the same team at Alabama.
The article mentions that JJ McCarthy was on Ohio State's staff during the game in question, which could indicate a conflict of interest.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy estimated that 80% of college football programs are engaged in sign stealing, including Michigan's biggest rival.
In 2019 and 2020, Ohio State was stealing Michigan's signs which is legal according to NCAA rules.
Michigan had to adapt its sign-stealing tactics to keep up with Ohio State.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article contains a statement from J.J. McCarthy that is not supported by evidence and therefore it is deceptive.
“We actually had to adapt because in 2020 or 2019, when Ohio State was stealing our signs — which is legal — and they were doing it, we had to get up to the level they were at,” McCarthy said. This statement implies that sign stealing is a common practice in college football when there is no evidence of this.
“We had to make it an even playing field.” McCarthy said. This statement implies that sign stealing gives teams an advantage, which contradicts the fact that it's legal and therefore not a deceptive practice.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest with Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes as they are two teams that have been accused of sign stealing. The author also has a personal relationship with J.J. McCarthy who is quoted in the article.
The author mentions Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes multiple times throughout the article, indicating a potential conflict of interest.
The author quotes J.J. McCarthy directly in the article, suggesting a personal relationship with him.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of sign stealing in college football. The article mentions that Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy believes that 80% of college football teams steal signs and includes direct quotes from him discussing this belief.
(a) play, and a lot of stuff that gets masked just because of the outside perception of what sign stealing is all about
Michigan is playing for a national title in the College Football Playoff against Washington on Monday night.
In 2019 and 2020, Ohio State was stealing Michigan's signs which is legal according to NCAA rules.
A former staffer named Connor Stalions allegedly coordinated a scheme that violated NCAA rules by compiling video footage of other teams' signals shot from the stands, which was later suspended and resigned but attended the Rose Bowl as a fan.
Michigan is 7-0 since news of the scouting scandal broke, including Monday's victory against Alabama.
Players maintain that sign stealing allegations do not diminish their 14-0 record or potential national championship.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that most college football programs legally steal signs. However, this statement is not supported by any evidence or data provided in the article. Secondly, when discussing Michigan's sign-stealing scandal on Wednesday's College Football Playoff teleconference, JJ McCarthy states that Ohio State did it in 2019 and 2020. However, this statement is not accurate as Ohio State did not play Michigan in those years due to the Wolverines opting out of the game during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirdly, when discussing potential punishments for Michigan's sign-stealing scandal such as vacated wins, McCarthy states that it would be unfortunate not to be recognized for their work. However, this statement is misleading as there are no guarantees of recognition or punishment from the NCAA.
The author claims that most college football programs legally steal signs. This statement is not supported by any evidence or data provided in the article.
Fallacies
(70%)
The article contains several fallacies. Firstly, the author makes an appeal to authority by stating that most college football programs legally steal signs. This is not true and there are no statistics provided to support this claim. Secondly, the author uses inflammatory rhetoric when he says it's unfortunate that Michigan had to adapt because Ohio State was stealing their signs, which is legal. Thirdly, the author makes a false dichotomy by stating that sign-stealing is all about football IQ and there are other things going on behind the scenes. This statement oversimplifies complex issues and ignores other factors such as team strategy and preparation.
The author states that most college football programs legally steal signs, which is not true.
Bias
(80%)
The author of the article is Colin Gay from The Columbus Dispatch. In his statement about Michigan's sign-stealing scandal on Wednesday's College Football Playoff teleconference, he said that most college football programs legally steal signs and cited Ohio State as an example. He also stated that it was necessary for Michigan to adapt because of the Buckeyes stealing their signs in 2019 and 2020. The author then went on to say that there is a lot more work involved in sign-stealing than just what is perceived by outsiders, and he defended his team's accomplishments despite any potential punishments due to the scandal.
He also stated that it was necessary for Michigan to adapt because of the Buckeyes stealing their signs in 2019 and 2020.
When answering a question about Michigan's sign-stealing scandal on Wednesday's College Football Playoff teleconference, Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy said most college football programs legally steal signs, including Ohio State in 2019 and 2020.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author of the article has a conflict of interest with Michigan as they are reporting on their sign-stealing scandal. The author also has a personal relationship with J.J. McCarthy and may be biased towards him.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of sign-stealing scandal as they are reporting on Michigan's involvement in it. The article also mentions J.J. McCarthy who is an Ohio State player and Chris Partidge who was involved in the NCAA bylaws against in-person advance scouting, which could be a conflict of interest for the author.
The article reports that Michigan stole signs to even playing field with Ohio State.
J.J. McCarthy said Michigan players did things the right way
Mason Graham said they had to adapt and make it an even playing field after Ohio State was legally stealing their signs in 2019 or 2020
Pat McAfee applauded Michigan for coming back late in the fourth quarter vs. Alabama in the Rose Bowl and praised their resilience
Jim Harbaugh said any talk of NCAA sanctions at this point is purely living in the world of rumorville or speculation.
Mason Graham said their only edge is watching film to study tendencies. They go over specific situations multiple times a week, just kind of just learning more about the game every day, every meeting, just kind of just building the IQ and being smarter football players all around so they pick up on things faster
Jim Harbaugh said any NCAA sanctions at this point is purely living in the world of rumorville or speculation. Their time's spent elsewhere.
Jim Harbaugh said any talk of NCAA sanctions at this point is purely living in the world of rumorville or speculation. Their time's spent elsewhere.
Accuracy
Jim Harbaugh said any NCAA sanctions at this point is purely living in the world of rumorville or speculation.
Mason Graham said it was all part of the adversity the team overcame this season, and that's not something the NCAA can take away
Jim Harbaugh served a university-imposed three-game suspension at the beginning of the season for alleged recruiting violations and was suspended for an off-campus sign stealing operation led by former staff member Connor Stalions, who resigned Nov. 3.
Pat McAfee applauded Michigan for coming back late in the fourth quarter vs. Alabama in the Rose Bowl
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that Michigan players did things 'the right way' when it comes to sign stealing. However, this statement is misleading as there are ongoing NCAA investigations into both the sign-stealing scandal and alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 season. It is possible that Michigan will face sanctions such as vacating wins, which would detract from their accomplishments this season. Secondly, JJ McCarthy claims that rival Ohio State was legally stealing signs in 2019 or 2020 and that the Wolverines had to adapt. However, there is no evidence presented in the article to support these claims. Lastly, Graham states that Michigan's only edge is watching film to study tendencies, but this statement ignores other factors such as physical fitness and teamwork which are also crucial for success on the field.
The author claims that Michigan players did things 'the right way' when it comes to sign stealing. However, there are ongoing NCAA investigations into both the sign-stealing scandal and alleged recruiting violations during the COVID-19 season. It is possible that Michigan will face sanctions such as vacating wins.
JJ McCarthy claims that rival Ohio State was legally stealing signs in 2019 or 2020 and that the Wolverines had to adapt. However, there is no evidence presented in the article to support these claims.
Fallacies
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Heather Dinich has a conflict of interest on the topic of Michigan football as she is an ESPN Senior Writer and College Football reporter who joined ESPN.com in 2007 and graduated from Indiana University.
ESPN has a financial stake in the success of college football teams and programs, which could influence their coverage of the topic.
Heather Dinich's job at ESPN involves covering college football, including Michigan football
The article mentions that Heather Dinich is an ESPN Senior Writer and College Football reporter
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Heather Dinich has conflicts of interest on the topics of Michigan and Ohio State as she is an ESPN Senior Writer covering college football.
