Connor Stalions Suffers Another Embarrassing Career Moment

Former Michigan staffer and man at the center of the Wolverines' sign-stealing scandal, Connor Stalions, had a tough time getting back on his feet in the coaching world.

According to a recent story from The Athletic, Stalions' first attempt to get back into coaching following his departure from Michigan went totally awry and left behind a wake of controversy.

He attempted to take a job at a Berkley High School in Michigan after they finished winless the year before, but everything unraveled for he and Berkley. Stalions was initially brought on as the defensive coordinator by head coach Casey Humes; however, that decision didn't stick.

“District higher-ups ultimately overruled the coach’s attempt to hire Stations, concerned about negative attention that could be generated by the NCAA investigation," said the report.

By the time the higher-ups stepped in, though, Stalions believed he already had the job and was not planning to go quietly into that good night. That dilemma was partially credit to the fact that Coach Humes had already informed parents of the hire when he wasn't supposed to let that info slip before finalization.

So, the district's deputy superintendent, Christopher Sandoval, stepped in and reached out to Stalions directly to let him know Berkley would move in another direction at DC. But again, Stalions fought it, saying in an email back he already had his hire confirmed by the school's coach (Humes), athletic director, Taylor Horne, and principal, Andrew Meloche.

Except, Meloche didn't confirm Stlaions' story.

"I've never even talked to that guy," Meloche said, per The Athletic.

Two days after the email from Sandoval, Stalions hadn't heard back and responded again, believing that he was still set to serve as defensive coordinator.

“I’m really looking forward to continuing to install the defense with the players,” he wrote. “Thank you again, for giving me the opportunity to coach here at Berkley High School. I look forward to being part of the program’s turnaround. Go Bears!”

In yet another response days later, Stalions changed his outlook, saying he understood that the Berkley administration didn't wish for him to coach the team in a paid position. He intended to remain as a volunteer.

But when he couldn't immediately transition into a volunteer role due to the lingering NCAA investigation, Stalions reversed, saying he was going to remain in the defensive coordinator role.

That's when Sandoval put his foot down.

"You are not, nor have you ever been, an employee of Berkley School District," he wrote to Stalions.

Stalions eventually met with Athletic Director Horne and Coach Humes, but not Sandoval, the deputy superintendent. Afterward, Stalions lashed out with "roughly 1,500 words" in an email about the entire situation.

Stalions claimed he was being unfairly portrayed by district officials, called out Sandoval for failing to meet with him, and then bragged about his control over the media.

"The local and national media wants access to me since I’ve never done anything with the media,” Stalions wrote. “The meaningful media members aren’t going to write a story if I ask them not to.”

Despite the tumultuous story underneath the surface of the hiring, parents at the school actually supported the school's hire of a former Michigan staffer, and 80% of the team's parents signed a petition in favor of Stalions.

Alas, the partnership ultimately fell through as district officials didn't budge on their stance of not wanting Stalions.

Plus, Berkley Athletic Director Taylor Horne resigned at the end of the 2023-24 school year and declined to tell The Athletic whether the Stalions' saga contributed. After all, Sandoval had called out Horne in one of his emails for allowing the hire to advance as far as it did.

With all of that in the past, Connor Stalions appears to have found a much more stable position as a volunteer defensive coordinator on the staff at Detroit Mumford.