We’re excited to share the latest edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you in the loop about all things sports. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox every weekday morning.🏈 THE WILD MICHIGAN SCANDAL, REVEALED(Stefan Milic/Yahoo Sports Illustration)The craziest college football story in recent memory continues to unfold, making it increasingly challenging to keep up. Here’s the rundown:Timeline: Just three weeks ago, Michigan was riding high after a 52-7 win over Indiana, and all eyes were on J.J. McCarthy’s burgeoning Heisman campaign. Then, everything changed. The plot thickens: The narrative took a turn this week, with other Big Ten programs implicated in their own sign-stealing schemes. Some question whether Michigan is trying to shift attention, while others believe it demonstrates that the Wolverines may not be as guilty as they are made out to be. You be the judge.Nov. 7: Michigan provides evidence to the Big Ten, accusing Rutgers, Ohio State, and Purdue of stealing and sharing the Wolverines’ signs last season. Media outlets publish specific documents received by Michigan from a former Purdue coach.Nov. 8: Michigan sends a 10-page letter to the Big Ten, cautioning the conference to “act cautiously when setting precedent given the reality that in-person scouting, collusion among opponents, and other questionable practices may well be far more prevalent than believed.”Nov. 8: Eleven Michigan lawmakers write to Petitti, urging caution “from taking any premature measures.” Notably, nine of the 11 either graduated from or were former employees of UM.What’s next: The Big Ten is expected to decide on potential punishment by the end of the week. If there is a suspension for Harbaugh, both the coach and the school are likely to take legal action, according to sources at Yahoo Sports. The Big Ten’s Sportsmanship Policy details possible penalties beyond a Harbaugh suspension, including withholding TV and bowl game revenue, as reported by CBS Sports.As for the NCAA’s investigation, any action is not expected until the offseason. Even if they manage to speed up the process and provide Michigan with a formal notice of allegations soon, the school will then have 90 days to respond, followed by a lengthy appeals process.My take: Ultimately, it comes down to the rules that were or were not broken. NCAA rules don’t forbid teams from deciphering and stealing signals. However, they do prohibit teams from scouting opponents in person.An analogy can be drawn to the 2017 Astros scandal: Baseball teams can steal signs without technology, but they cannot use the center-field camera feed to relay those signs, which is what Houston did.Baseball seems to have solved its sign-stealing problem by installing the PitchCom communication system, eliminating signs and allowing pitchers and catchers to communicate via headset. College football could do something similar, akin to the NFL, which uses coaches to relay plays to select players’ helmets.Perspective: My colleague Dan Wetzel asserts that Purdue, Ohio State, and Rutgers cheated just as much as Michigan. While Michigan’s “advanced scouts” were a group of friends with iPhones, Purdue’s were the professional coaching staffs of two other Big Ten teams that had recently played the Wolverines, and could therefore test the signs they stole.In the end, they both allegedly stole information on opponents’ play signals in an effort to gain an advantage. It’s just that one was a ski mask bank robbery, and the other was an inside job smoothly wiring money to the Caribbean.Further reading: Who is Connor Stalions? The Wall Street Journal delved into Stalions’ backstory, from his time as an “obsessive” Michigan fan to his days at the U.S. Naval Academy. Surprisingly, he was sued by his homeowners association last year for running an appliance refurbishing business out of his Ann Arbor home.The mysterious LLC: Stalions and Michigan star running back Blake Corum are listed as co-organizers of Wyoming-based “BC2 Housing LLC.” Corum denied any business dealings with Stalions. Another co-organizer, Connor O’Dea, has reportedly been flagged by a Big Ten school for purchasing a ticket using an account number linked to Stalions. He also seems to have played high school football at Stalions’ alma mater.Coming up: No. 2 Michigan visits No. 9 Penn State on Saturday in the Wolverines’ biggest game of the season so far.⚾️ MLB GM MEETINGS CANCELED AFTER VIRUS OUTBREAK(Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)Baseball’s offseason kickoff event has been unexpectedly cut short.The scoop: MLB has canceled the remainder of the GM meetings at the Omni Montelucia Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, due to more than 10% of attendees falling ill, as first reported by SI.This annual event, commencing on Tuesday, generally serves as the unofficial start of the offseason and paves the way for free agent signings and potential trades. Executives were also set to discuss a broad range of topics, including rule changes and the new postseason format.Other MLB news: The Angels have named Ron Washington as their new manager. The 71-year-old previously led the Rangers from 2007-2014 before serving as the Braves’ third-base coach starting in 2016.🏈 NFL UNDER BETS CONTINUE TO SUCCEEDThe Giants are averaging an NFL-worst 11.2 points per game this season. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Offensive struggles in the NFL this season are making it a prime time for betting the under (wagering that the two teams will score fewer points than the Over/Under total set by the sportsbook).By the numbers: According to Action Network, unders are 83-52-1 (61.5%) so far this season, the best rate through Week 9 since 1991.Looking ahead: Here are the current Over/Under totals for Week 10, per BetMGM…Tonight: Panthers at Bears (38.5)Sunday: Colts at Patriots (43.5), Texans at Bengals (47.5), Saints at Vikings (41), Packers at Steelers (39), Titans at Buccaneers (38.5), 49ers at Jaguars (45), Browns at Ravens (38), Falcons at Cardinals (44), Lions at Chargers (48.5), Giants at Cowboys (38.5), Commanders at Seahawks (45.5)Sunday night: Jets at Raiders (36)Monday night*: Broncos at Bills (47)*Mondays: “Monday Night Football” unders are 10-1 this season and 55-28-1 since 2019.❤️ THE REASON WE LOVE SPORTSPatrick and his dad.Patrick B. (Norwalk, Iowa) shares:Twelve years ago, my mom gave my dad an amazing birthday gift. She bought two tickets to the 2011 World Series, one for him and one for me. We spent that time together, and the memories we made were truly priceless. It was an experience I will always cherish.
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