Four former Central Michigan football staffers and the Chippewas program itself have been hit with penalties following a multi-year investigation into Connor Stalions’ presence on the CMU sideline during its home game with Michigan State back on Sept. 1, 2023, the NCAA announced Thursday.
The NCAA’s investigation found that bringing Stalions in to decipher the Spartans’ signals in real time was the brain child of former quarterbacks coach Jake Kostner. Kostner reached out to Stalions, then engaged two staffers to get Stalions CMU coaching gear and a sideline pass, where he stood “in close proximity” to CMU football staff. The game, played in East Lansing, was a 31-7 Spartans victory.
Kostner enlisted the help of equipment coordinator Nate Mason for coaching gear and director of recruiting Mike McGee for access to the Chippewas’ bench. Neither staffer knew what the request was for, but the NCAA found McGee was vaguely aware it was for a friend of Kostner’s who was skilled in deciphering signals (which, it must be stated, is not illegal… so long as you’re actually on the coaching staff). However, the NCAA found Mason and McGee initially provided “false or misleading” information to enforcement staff before turning an about-face and before providing “critical information” to the investigation. The NCAA found that CMU “demonstrated exemplary cooperation” throughout the investigation and actively assisted the NCAA in its collection of facts and records.
Still, the careers of all involved may be over.
— Kostner was given a 4-year show-cause, where he is effectively baneed from “all athletically related activities” during the first year, and suspended from 50 percent of games for the second year.
— Mason and McGee were given 2-year show-causes, with restriction from all athletically related activities in the first year, plus 30 percent suspensions during the second year.
— Head coach Jim McElwain was given an identical punishment to Mason and McGee as part of the NCAA’s head coach responsibility legislation.
— The Central Michigan football program was given a 2-year probation and fined $30,000, plus 1 percent of the program’s budget.
The punishments were agreed upon by CMU and the NCAA and approved by the Committee on Infractions, making the possibility of an appeal difficult if not impossible.
None of the four individuals work for the CMU program today. Kostner resigned last September, and McElwain announced his retirement in November. Central Michigan is now playing its first season under head coach Matt Drinkwall, where the Chips are 5-3.
