The Michigan Wolverines sign stealing saga continues as the University president, Santa Ono, breaks his silence on the situation. While the NCAA continues to conduct its investigation into the Michigan football team's cheating scandal, the Ono sends a message to the Big Ten Commissioner, Tony Petitti.

On Friday, Ono visited with Petitti to discuss what may or may not possibly happen with Michigan football and head coach Jim Harbaugh. However, before the meeting could take place, Santa Ono's email went public, according to Chris Balas at On3.

In the email, the Ono essentially reminds Petitti that if the Big Ten were to discipline the Michigan football program before the conclusion of the NCAA investigation it would be a violation of the rules. ESPN's Adam Rittenberg shared a snippet of the email.

The rest of the email reads:

“We, as would any other member of the Big 10, deserve nothing less.  Our students, our coaches, our program—all are entitled to a fair, deliberate, thoughtful process. We are aware that other representatives of the Big10 are demanding that you take action now, before any meaningful investigation and full consideration of all the evidence.  That is not something our conference rules permit.  And we both know it is not what any other member would want if allegations were raised against their people or programs.

“The Big 10 has not informed us of any investigation of its own, as would be required under conference rules.  And, to be clear, oral updates from NCAA enforcement staff do not and cannot constitute evidence, nor do we think the NCAA would ever intend for an oral update to be given that meaning or weight.

“The best course of action, the one far more likely to ascertain the facts, is to await the results of the NCAA investigation.  But if you refuse to let the NCAA investigative process play out, the Big 10 may not take any action against the University or its players or coaches without commencing its own investigation and offering us the opportunity to provide our position.  That is not just required by our conference rules; it is a matter of basic fairness.”

Michigan football is currently in the mix for a National Championship, as Jim Harbaugh has led the Wolverines to an undefeated record that should continue after their Week 10 matchup against Purdue.

For that reason, it makes sense why Santa Ono would want to wait for any potential disciplinary actions to be put on hold from the Big Ten. Ono's email is a nice subtle reminder that every school in the conference follows.

As of now, it's not clear when this investigation is going to end. As Santa Ono points out, they are cooperating with the NCAA. However, considering how many moving parts are involved with this situation, it could be ongoing well into the 2024 offseason.

We'll see how it plays out, but based on this latest update, we may not have any answers for quite sometime.