The Michigan Wolverines fired linebackers coach Chris Partridge on Friday, effectively offering up a sacrifice to the NCAA in the midst of the ongoing investigation of illegal in-person scouting by the program.
Shortly after the news of the firing broke, Dan Wetzel and Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that the NCAA presented evidence to the school this week that an assistant coach with the program attempted to destroy evidence after news of the scandal broke last month. Multiple sources indicated that is was Partridge who participated in the cover up, explaining his ouster. They also reported that a booster, cited as “Uncle T” by the NCAA, funded Connor Stalions’ operation. “Uncle T” provided thousands of dollars to the now ex-Michigan staffer to conduct the scheme where he attended games of future opponents and intercepted their signals.
This entire scandal continues to take new turns with each passing day as it has been the biggest (and most entertaining) ongoing story throughout the 2023 college football season. These reports come just one day after Jim Harbaugh accepted his three-game suspension from the Big Ten, which now can be viewed as Michigan cooperating after the NCAA found the smoking gun.
Stay tuned for more inevitable reports coming out of Ann Arbor. Maybe we’ll discover the existence of an Uncle U, an Uncle V, and an Uncle W.