Strongly opinionated sports fans flooded X with comments following the debut of Untold: Sign Stealer, which featured fallen football analyst Connor Stalions.
Stalions told his side of the story about the University of Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal in the documentary Netflix released Friday.
Since its release, X users have been divided in their opinion of Stalion’s antics, with one person even calling him an “arrogant liar” in his tweet.
However, many college football fans have come to his defense, praising his love of football and suggesting he coach at more colleges.
In addition to Stalions, his friends, parents and several sports journalists gave their opinions on the sports scandal.
Former University of Michigan football analyst Connor Stalions told his side of the story in a new Netflix documentary about the infamous sign-stealing scandal.
Stalions dreamed of becoming the head football coach at the University of Michigan.
Michigan hired Stalions as an off-field analyst after he left the Marines in 2022.
Stalions was fortunate enough to become a member of the coaching staff during the 2023 season, when an undefeated Michigan won the National Championship.
However, the sign-stealing scandal, which began in October 2023, led the NCAA to open an investigation into the school’s football program.
The organization later confirmed that Stalions was the focus of the investigation and was accused of stealing signals from opposing teams in their games, some of which he attended incognito.
He allegedly filmed opposing teams’ sidelines and then decoded his coaching staff’s playcalling signals.
Central Michigan University opened its own investigation a month later after photos of what appeared to be Stalions players at several games appeared online.
All of his actions were NCAA Level I violations, and after the school suspended Stalions with pay, he resigned in November 2023.
In the documentary, Stalions tells NCAA officials that he never conducted any in-person scouting.
“I didn’t get any signals through in-person scanning,” he said before adding that he didn’t recall “ordering anyone to go to a game” on his behalf.
However, he also admitted that “there are some people who attended the games using tickets I bought and recorded parts of those games.”
At another point, Stalions is confronted with a photograph of himself watching another team’s game from the sidelines.
Holding up the photo, Stalions says, “I mean, I don’t even think this guy looks at me.”
The University of Michigan hired Stalions as an off-field analyst in 2022. The sign-stealing scandal began just months after the Wolverines won the 2023 National Championship.
Following the investigation, the school also fired its football team’s linebackers coach, Chris Partridge, and then-head coach Jim Harbaugh was disciplined by the NCAA.
Stalions remains a Wolverines fan and is the defensive coordinator for the Detroit Mumford High School football team.
Despite violating NCAA rules, many believe that Stalions was simply doing the best he could to help the team in any way he could.
The Stalions’ supporters on social media have called on him to return to training and that he is a “hero” despite his actions.
‘Connor’s Stalions cost @Vol_Football a national championship… But that man loved football more than I thought he could so he can’t hate it,’ said one X user tweeted.
Other user X wrote‘The Cowboys need to hire Connor Stalions to put on a 49ers polo and just walk around the team facility loudly spreading gossip and rumors to further San Francisco’s emotional downfall.’
“I just finished watching the Connor Stalions documentary. I have bad news if you think that made Michigan look bad. It didn’t at all,” said one X user. tweeted.
“He was smarter than everyone and Ohio State fans seem like whiners. Penn State fans do, too, but that’s a constant thing, really.”
Several X users have either supported or criticized the former football analyst for his actions.
Some football fans who criticized the former analyst in the wake of the documentary also spoke negatively of Jim Harbaugh, the former Michigan coach and current coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
‘Connor Stalions obviously graduated from Jim Harbaugh’s school of lies,’ said one X user tweeted.
They also called Stalions a “liar” and one X user referred to him as the “master of persuasion.’
Football fans have also criticized the University of Michigan team in general and praised the Buckeyes for being a “better team.”
‘Ohio State failed to stop the run in 2021, changed their signs before the 2022 game, and Connor Stalions was unemployed for the 2023 game,’ wrote one tweeter.
“But you keep making excuses to distract yourself from the fact that Michigan has simply been the better football team. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”