A month after Florida routed Ohio State 41-14 in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, the then-Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany wrote an open letter defending his conference against criticism that it had fallen behind in recruiting. This letter was met with mockery and Delany himself admitted regret upon his retirement 13 years later. The letter reflected the Big Ten’s long-standing haughty self-image.
Now, the once-regal Big Ten is facing a major scandal. Michigan, the conference’s two-time defending champion, is accused of a convoluted espionage scheme. New commissioner Tony Petitti appears to be close to taking action against head coach Jim Harbaugh and his program. Allegations of rival coaches colluding to steal the Wolverines’ signals have made the situation even more sensational.
This scandal is a bad look for the Big Ten, and it’s reminiscent of the SEC’s notorious history of schools turning each other in and airing their grievances with each other, making for a perplexing and convoluted situation indeed.
The source of this scandal began with allegations about a former Michigan staffer’s scheme. There were even conspiracy theories that Ohio State coach Ryan Day had ties to the investigator of the scandal, which were debunked by the NCAA and Big Ten.
The current unbecoming situation of the Big Ten would not have been tolerated during the time of Delany’s rule. A similar situation in the SEC was quickly quashed when Lane Kiffin made public accusations against other coaches.
Petitti is now facing a challenging moment in his role as the Big Ten commissioner. He has prior experience in handling similar scandals, and his decision on how to address the Michigan scandal may affect his future.
If the league’s coaches are successfully influencing Petitti’s actions against Michigan, it might reflect not just on Michigan’s fate, but also the commissioner’s own journey in the conference.
The aftermath of the Michigan scandal may be challenging, but there is high stakes involved, making it crucial for the Big Ten to regain control before welcoming four more schools into the conference.
