A day after meeting with the B1G’s 13 coaches, Tony Petitti met today with their bosses. He’s working his way up the schools’ org charts. According to Pete Thamel:
Big Ten athletic directors met with commissioner Tony Petitti on a video call Thursday without Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel present, and sources told ESPN the call about Michigan's alleged sign-stealing operation took on a distinctly different tenor than when they met a week ago.
Sources said the athletic directors left the call with the notion than Petitti is taking the Big Ten's ability to punish Michigan over the allegations more seriously than previously.
While no potential punishments were discussed, Petitti acknowledged speaking with the NCAA about its investigation, although he refused to divulge any details of that conversation, sources said. One of the issues Petitti brought up with the athletic directors was that he couldn't make a decision on Michigan this season based on a whim, that he would need a set of facts to go off of.
Petitti said on the call he needs to still speak with the Big Ten presidents on the matter, have deeper discussions with officials at Michigan and potentially speak again with the NCAA, per sources. That left no decision imminent, but Big Ten officials stressed a different tone.
While parts of the meeting unfolded similarly to the coaches airing their grievances in a call Wednesday, Petitti did get across a message that he has heard the constituencies loud and clear.
"The athletic directors had a clear message -- we believe the conference needs to step up," a source familiar with the call said.
At the heart of the call, much like the coaches' call the night before, was the lack of faith in NCAA enforcement to quickly investigate and rule on Michigan's case, sources said. That has brought to the forefront what the Big Ten has the authority to do in the situation. The conference could initiate its own investigation into potential violations of the Big Ten's sportsmanship policy. While Petitti has the authority to dictate discipline, if it's beyond a standard level, it must be looked at by an executive committee that could approve, deny or lessen that discipline.
Pettiti reports to the presidents but I think it’s safe to assume the ADs all had a conversation with their respective bosses prior to the call and the tone of today’s meeting is likely to be a preview of a call with the presidents, who are likely to be even more measured than the ADs were.
If the B1G is going to do anything, the clock is ticking. It can always collect evidence—including anything the NCAA cares to share—and conduct an investigation and announce a decision immediately after The Game that doesn’t have to be final but based on what the B1G’s determined up to that point. The most pressing issue seems to be should Michigan be held out of the CCG if it runs the table and wins the East? But Michigan also could lose twice between now and then and be eliminated, which means an accelerated investigation that may not have all the facts could be slowed down. Why tip your hand prematurely if you don’t have to?
