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The Michigan football team has been a popular topic of discussion this week after the NCAA made its ruling regarding the team's sign-stealing investigation. The Wolverines received their punishment last week, and it was relatively minor. Michigan is facing a hefty fine and Sherrone Moore was suspened for one game during the 2026 season, but most of the punishment is pretty light. The team doesn't have to vacate wins, and there is no postseason ban. However, Fox analyst Joel Klatt is upset with the NCAA because of how long it took to reach to this point.
Remember, the Michigan football sign-stealing investigation began almost two years ago. The majority of that team's players and coaches are gone. Yet now is the time that the NCAA hands down its punishment.
“The NCAA has zero teeth because it's so late, we never penalize people in real time,” Joel Klatt said on his podcast. “When the investigation finishes, and pending what they actually did, if rules were broken, then they should be punished. I'm glad they're getting punished, because clearly, rules were broken. The Michigan penalties, and yes, those are air quotes, then the question becomes like, well, was the punishment fair? Did it fit the crime? You're never gonna make anybody happy with this.”
Fortunately for Michigan, these players aren't facing much of a punishment, and they will continue to be able to compete for championships. However, that isn't always the case in NCAA sports.
“I have been consistent about this for my entire career,” Klatt continued. “I never want to penalize a current player who had nothing to do with this for some actions of people that aren't even in the program anymore.”
When the sign-stealing investigation started, the Big Ten suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season. Michigan had to play against two top 10 teams in those final three weeks without Harbaugh. The Wolverines still found a way to win all of the games, and they eventually won the national championship. In Klatt's eyes, that punishment was a lot better than this one from the NCAA, and it made more sense.
“At least the Big Ten's punishment was in the season when they got the information and they can hurt that team, that coach who committed the so-called infractions, that punishment was more in line with, I think, what happened, allegedly happened, did happen, so on and so forth, versus this,” Klatt added. “My only fear is that we continue in college football to have a lack of enforcement of rules in real time again.”
A lot of people have issues with the NCAA, and this is a big reason why. The organization moves very slowly, and they often appear to be all bark and no bite. They had a lot to say about the Michigan football sign-stealing situation, but at the end of the day, the punishment isn't going to have a big impact on the Wolverines.
