SAD NEWS FOR: J.J. McCarthy of miami has been confirmed…

In an intriguing turn of events, NCAA President Charlie Baker defended his choice to notify the university and the Big Ten during the season that the NCAA was looking into ways that teams were not allowed to steal signs from other teams, saying the Michigan Wolverines won the National Championship “fair and square.”

Before the Wolverines’ 34-13 victory against the Washington Huskies in Monday’s National Championship game, Baker, in his eighth month as the NCAA president, took a few historic steps. He took a bold decision in October to inform Michigan and the Big Ten Conference of the early findings of an ongoing NCAA investigation. Following the release of this evidence, Connor Stalions resigned, Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games, and Chris Patridge was fired for allegedly interfering with the inquiry.

Baker recognized his decision was “unusual,” but he also believes the result legitimized Michigan’s run in the College Football Playoff.

At the NCAA convention, Baker said, “I don’t regret doing it because sitting on that information, given the comprehensiveness of it, I think we would have put everyone, including Michigan, in an awful place.” “As it was, it was in the open and people could choose to change it or not. Ultimately, nobody still holds the opinion that Michigan did not win the national championship in a fair and impartial manner.

Rather than waiting for the end of a protracted investigation, Baker thought the Wolverines and the Big Ten should have the chance to respond right away during the season to protect the competition’s integrity.

“It could have an impact on game results, which is one of the reasons I felt it was important to discuss this with Michigan and the Big Ten,” Baker stated. “I don’t think it did at the end of the season.”

The initial impetus for the NCAA’s sign-stealing probe, spearheaded by Stalions, came from a tip provided by an impartial third party. This source provided the NCAA at its Indianapolis headquarters with thorough evidence, which forced Baker to take immediate action.

At that time, Baker stated, “we had to make a decision.” “We made the unusual decision to call Michigan and the Big Ten at the same time to inform them about this, and we got on a whole bunch of calls and Zooms and shared the first pieces of what we’ve been given because it was the kind of thing that had consequences for the outcome of games.”

Michigan’s record post-investigation was exceptional, going 8-0 and gaining victories against top teams such as Penn State, Ohio State, and all the way through the National Championship. In spite of the issue, Michigan’s players and staff—including athletic director Warde Manuel—advocated their legitimate claim as champions and vehemently denied any suggestion that their title was compromised.