The punishment handed down by Michigan for its signal-stealing scandal appears to signal a shift in the NCAA enforcement and punishment process.

"The NCAA found no evidence that Jim Harbaugh or Michigan coaches directed or had knowledge of low-level staffer's Connor Stalions' alleged off-campus scouting operation," Safie wrote on X. "Jim Harbaugh made a statement in October 2023 that he had no knowledge, and that's supported."

The recent NCAA report detailed a fractured dynamic between the football program and the school’s compliance department.

Jim Harbaugh was given a 10-year show-cause penalty by the NCAA and Stalions got 8 years for the Wolverines' advance scouting scheme.