NCAA Penalizes Central Michigan Over 2023 Sign-Stealing

On Oct. 30 the NCAA issued penalties to Central Michigan University and four former football staffers for allowing ex‑Michigan assistant Connor Stalions onto CMU’s sideline during a 2023 game, closing CMU’s role in the wider Michigan sign‑stealing probe that began Oct. 31, 2023. CMU was placed on two years of probation and assessed a monetary penalty reported as $30,000 plus 1% of its football budget (alternatively reported as roughly $100,000). Four former staffers received show‑cause orders: Jake Kostner drew a four‑year show‑cause with activity restrictions — including a suspension for half of the regular‑season games in year two — while Nate Mason, Mike McGee and then‑head coach Jim McElwain each received two‑year show‑cause penalties with related hiring restrictions and suspensions. The NCAA’s 19‑page report says Kostner orchestrated Stalions’ sideline access by requesting extra gear and using an alias, that McGee handed out the pass without full knowledge, and that some staffers obstructed the investigation, resulting in multiple Level I violations for failure to cooperate. Central Michigan accepted a negotiated settlement, apologized to Michigan State, and the NCAA noted both the university’s cooperation and lapses in head‑coach oversight and sportsmanship.