HawgBeat - Pittman talks sign stealing in college football
Arkansas Razorbacks HC Sam Pittman commented on the Michigan sign stealing allegations.
arkansas.rivals.com
Everyone knows the old adage, "if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."
So often fans use this phrase as a justification to advocate for their favorite college football team to operate in the shadows just to win games. Well, some fans may have gotten their wish.
Last Thursday, the Michigan Wolverines were accused of rule violations related to sign stealing. According to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the allegation stems from NCAA Bylaw 11.6.1, which states: "Off campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season) is probibited."
Shortly thereafter, the Big Ten Conference released a statement on the matter:
"Late Wednesday afternoon, the Big Ten Conference and University of Michigan were notified by the NCAA that the NCAA was investigating allegations of sign stealing by the University of Michigan football program. The Big Ten Conference has notified Michigan State University and future opponents. The Big Ten Conference considers the integrity of competition to be of utmost importance and will continue to monitor the investigation. The Conference will have no further comment at this time."
When asked about his thoughts on the situation, Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman didn't shy away from his opinion.
"I don’t think it’s part of the game," Pittman said during Wednesday's SEC Teleconference. "I don’t believe in stealing signals. I don’t think it’s part of the game."
One method that may deter sign stealing is the use of helmet radio technology. CBS Sports reported Friday that the NCAA rules committee is giving teams the option of using such methods during the 2023-24 postseason.
According to The Athletic, SEC coaches discussed helmet radios during their 2021 spring meeting. Pittman spoke on the benefits of the technology on Wednesday.
"So I think the helmet situation would help tremendously in those aspects," Pittman said. I don’t know why we can’t do it. We should be able to do it and it would take some of those situations you just mentioned out of the game and make sure that it’s all fair. 100% for it"
With the investigation ongoing, the full scope of the cheating allegations is unclear at this time. One thing is certain though: the resulting impact could lead to major changes across the college football landscape.
