Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz had some playful banter regarding Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal after it was announced that his team would face Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
Appearing on ESPN’s College Football Playoff show on Sunday afternoon, Drinkwitz humorously stated that he had to end his live interview because former Michigan analyst Connor Stalions was calling him.
“Hey guys, I got a quick phone call, Connor Stalions beeping in right here.”
-Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz on the upcoming bowl matchup with Ohio State pic.twitter.com/INsuEbaM3y
– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 3, 2023
“Hey guys, I got a quick phone call, Connor Stalions beeping in right here, I’m trying to get a few signals here so I gotta go,” Drinkwitz said with excitement. “But as soon as we get done, look forward to competing against Ryan Day and we’ll go from there.”
Stalions is, of course, the former Michigan staffer accused of an elaborate in-person sign-stealing scheme to help Michigan decipher future opponents’ signals.
It’s a playful remark that most Michigan fans will likely not find nearly as amusing as Drinkwitz and the ESPN studio crew did, but most neutral observers should be able to appreciate it.
And even if Michigan fans don’t appreciate it, they have bragging rights over Ohio State anyway. The Wolverines defeated Ohio State in the final week of the regular season to advance to the Big Ten title game. Michigan clinched the Big Ten title on Saturday night with a decisive 26-0 win over Iowa to earn the top seed in the College Football Playoff.
The win over Ohio State came as Harbaugh was serving the third game of a three-game suspension from the Big Ten for the sign-stealing scandal. While the Big Ten said it didn’t have any evidence that Harbaugh was aware of Stalions’ scheme, commissioner Tony Petiniti disciplined Harbaugh because he wanted to minimize any punishment that would affect Michigan’s players.
