Last month, the NCAA announced its ruling in the Connor Stalions advanced scouting investigation, which resulted in a 10-year show cause for former head coach Jim Harbaugh, an eight-year show cause for Stalions, fines for the University of Michigan, and a suspension and two-year show cause for head coach Sherrone Moore. But in the report, there were some interesting details that hadn’t been adequately explained by the governing body.
Michigan had asked the NCAA to divulge the source of the materials that launched the investigation, yet, the NCAA refused. But in the process of the investigation, linebackers coach Chris Partridge was alleged to have told players to lie to or mislead NCAA investigators, which resulted in his dismissal. The NCAA ended up exonerating him.
According to a new report from CBS Detroit’s Gino Vicci, a private investigator has divulged that the student-athlete who lied to investigators about Partridge is the same one (named student-athlete 1 in the report) who recorded a phone call with Stalions (unknowingly to Stalions), and was also the same one who provided the PI firm (that is still unknown) the materials which were handed over to the NCAA, which launched the investigation.
CBS News Detroit has been provided information from a private investigator that shows that the student-athlete who lied to the NCAA about Partridge is the same student-athlete who recorded a phone call with Stalions without his consent. The private investigator also informed CBS News Detroit that the student-athlete and the campus source are the same individual, who is a former player on the team.
The private investigator presented evidence that the same student-athlete who lied to the NCAA regarding Partridge – and who recorded a phone call with Stalions – took videos from the former Michigan staffer’s personal computer in an unauthorized manner, and handed the videos over to the unnamed private investigation firm, which turned them over to the NCAA within 24 hours to start the NCAA investigation.
While there are still no names attached, it would stand to reason that the player in question was in Partridge’s linebacker room, and also that Stalions would know who it is, given that he was on the dated phone call per the NCAA report.
The CBS Detroit article continues, speaking with a lawyer in Dearborn who insists that Michigan would have a case if it was to escalate it beyond the NCAA appeals process to state court, as due process in state court would open up discovery.
“With the NCAA, they might not care where the evidence is coming from. They don’t have rules against that, but in the actual state court, similar to a criminal trial, when there’s evidence that’s obtained illegally, it’s called fruit from the poisonous tree… and in that case, anything obtained from that evidence is deemed inadmissible, which would render the case against Michigan dismissed,” Meroueh added.
We will continue to cover the story as it develops.
This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Report ties Michigan player to leaked evidence in NCAA Stalions case