Lawyer: Connor Stalions' private data breached; 'We think' Ohio State involved

In the Netflix documentary "Sign Stealer" released Tuesday, former Michigan football staffer Connor Stalions denies NCAA allegations he spearheaded an illicit in-person scouting operation , and his lawyer insinuated the NCAA used illegally obtained information in its investigation.

The documentary includes portions of Stalions' interview with NCAA investigators in which he claimed he didn't instruct others to attend games to record opposing teams' signs, but he did admit tickets that he bought were used by individuals who sent him video.

He told the filmmakers that it was like "when your aunt gets you a Christmas present."

According to a tickets records request obtained in November , Stalions purchased tickets to at least 12 Ohio State football games at Ohio Stadium between 2021-23.

During that same interview with the NCAA, Stalions' attorney, Brad Beckworth, said his client's personal information was illegally obtained, something he felt Ohio State had a role in.

“We believe that Connor’s personal, private data was breached by someone who did not have permission to do that,” Beckworth said. “If that’s true, that’s certainly a violation of civil law and it’s maybe a bigger crime. If it’s true that came from somebody associated or tied to the Ohio State University, and we think it was, if I was going to try to do right, I might be focused on that. OK? Do you know if someone took this without Connor’s consent?”

The NCAA investigator declined to share where the information regarding Stalions was obtained.

"We think his email was hacked," Beckworth told the documentarians.

An Ohio State spokesman said in a statement that Beckworth's accusations are "simply not true and no one has presented evidence indicating otherwise."

"We're focused on the season and have no comment on the film," the spokesman continued.

In November, Yahoo Sports reported there was no connection between Day and his family, and the Big Ten's investigation into Michigan.

Stalions first bought tickets to Ohio State's October 2021 win against Maryland located in Section 22AA, near the 50-yard line across from the Ohio State sideline. He also purchased tickets for games against Purdue and Michigan State in 2021, Notre Dame, Arkansas State, Toledo, Wisconsin, Rutgers and Michigan in 2022, and Western Kentucky, Maryland and Penn State in 2023.

School records show that those tickets were either resold on the secondary market or forwarded to others. Tickets for Ohio State's 2023 win against Penn State and the 2022 win against Toledo were unscanned.

According to NCAA rules, "off-campus, in-person scouting of future opponents (in the same season)" is prohibited along with recording any signals by an opposing player, coach or team personnel. Decoding signals outside of those means is allowed, something Stalions claims he did by the book.

"One, I've never advance scouted," Stalions said in the documentary. "Two, if this was about signals, I obtain signals the way every other team does, through watching TV copies and talking to other intel guys from other teams. What set me apart was the way in which I organized that information and processed it on game day."

Ohio State will play Michigan Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium. The game will kick off at noon on Fox.

Ohio State football schedule 2024

• Aug. 31: Ohio State vs. Akron; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Sept. 7: Ohio State vs. Western Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Sept. 21: Ohio State vs. Marshall; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Sept. 28: Ohio State at Michigan State; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
• Oct. 5: Ohio State vs. Iowa; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Oct. 12: Ohio State at Oregon; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
• Oct. 26: Ohio State vs. Nebraska; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Nov. 2: Ohio State at Penn State; Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
• Nov. 9: Ohio State vs. Purdue; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Nov. 16: Ohio State at Northwestern; Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
• Nov. 23: Ohio State vs. Indiana; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
• Nov. 30: Ohio State vs. Michigan; Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lawyer: Connor Stalions' private data breached; 'We think' Ohio State involved