"Reasonable" fees are 100% legal under just about every iteration of open records laws. 

I've got a few hundred tied up here... nothing that's killing me. 

Ending the week with 2 quick notes. 

- Discussions continue between UM and the NCAA against all odds... some sort of negotiated resolution could still be in play. I wouldn't say its likely, but it appears to be well within the realm of possibility. There could be motivation here for UM to accept the know vs. risking the unknown; a seismic shift in their outlook since summer. 

- The meatiest portion of my records request have now been delayed an additional 25 business days, along with costing a not-insignificant amount, "Due to the amount of time estimated to search for responsive email records and examine, copy, and review those records to separate exempt from nonexempt records within the scope of your request, production of responsive nonexempt records will result in unreasonably high costs, for which the University is permitted to require a fee." 

Working a couple angles still, but this quiet period persists. For now.

Even when the waters appear calm, sharks can circle just beneath the surface and storms can swirl up on the horizon. 

It won't be this quiet for long. 

I have a public records dump due by the end of next week. 

With a bit more knowledge than what I'm able to share here, I can tell you that this particular nugget is BS. Harbaugh is expected to receive a lifetime ban when all is said and done, but this isn't a card that UM even has to lay down.

The incomparable Buckeye Donuts, I'd hope.

I can't confirm exactly what BS reported, but there are definitely indications that their representation to the NCAA changed. 

The basement is where most of my drum collection lives. A worthy venue, I suppose.

Oh lord that's what I get for multitasking. "Come under formal investigation."

Quick note to the above conversation- CMU was read in on a draft NOA back in late July, in all likelihood just the relevant chunk of the UM draft. They were given the opportunity to cooperate or come u Der formal investigation. Kostner was placed on leave as the program got poked around, and ultimately resigned. His resignation letter not being released with his personnel file is indicative.

The conference is not considered a "direct party of interest" for NOA delivery. 

UM does have some reporting obligations to the B1G, but I don't know exactly what those are and don't want to lead anyone down the wrong path. 

A datapoint I think many overlook from last fall is that the NCAA recognized the severity of what was going on and took it to the B1G, who were the only ones who could immediately act. I know there's frustration with what Petitti and the conference did and didn't do, but that was an impossible spot for them. 

But - remember this - 11 months ago the NCAA thought this scheme was so monumental that they took the unprecedented step of going to the conference to inform them. All based on an investigation that *they had not yet started.*

This case has been unprecedented from the start, and is going to end very, very poorly for our neighbors to the north. 

There it is.

The enforcement folks are swinging around bigger stones than many are crediting them for.

Unless they reach a negotiated agreement that pushes things out sooner, we'll have the NOA released under FOIA mid-December. Still plenty of time for more drip, drip, drip.

I'm working on a few things, and only try to post when I receive good information. Today's news is that UM's representatives have offered up a *lot* to put this to bed, especially over the past 10 days. The NCAA isn't budging. The framework is the minimum.

Had they settled before the formal NOA was delivered, it never would have seen the light of day. As it's happened, it's a public document that we will see in about 62 business days. There's no hiding it - it *will* be released.

The full NOA will be released under FOIA before Christmas.

Coincidentally, it also works for "Divorce."

Drinks soon at Granville Brewing? I've got it in with the owners. 

Text me, brother. Hope you have a good game tonight.

Quite the opposite, my friend. If the NOA were in any way, shape, or form good for those accused, it would have leaked like a dollar store bucket. 

The NOA is believed to be detailed, damning, and devastating, and UM is desperately trying to salvage some sort of agreement to start their punishment clock. 

Patience is a virtue here. We'll all know in about 62 days (according to that FOIA office up north).

A day off today, in which I've accomplished very little of what I had hoped to. 

In any event, I did have a good exchange with my best source on the enforcement side of things. He's been tighter-lipped since the NOA was delivered, but I did get a direct answer out of him when asking about how the NOA holds up to UM's defense of unclear rules, loopholes, and rogue staffers. 

"Air tight. No concerns."

And with that, it's football Friday night... and homecoming. Hoping for a dub.

Let's remember... When this all first broke, Uncle T reported that Connor funded this plan all on his own with $100,000 profit from a home he sold.

Probably a good place to mention that we know of zero actual muscle investigating this (or even interest in investigating this), so it's just a side project all of us for now. If Corum didn't authorize Stalions to list him on the LLC, Corum as the "victim" isn't going to file any sort of complaint. If Stalions listed Corum on the LLC to try and add some legitimacy to his sales pitch, those folks aren't likely to complain as they are almost certainly friendly to the program. If Corum was a willing participant in all this - and the more and more we find this is seeming slightly more likely to me - the NCAA has had no interest thus far. Even though the info has been out there for almost a year.

With that said these dots aren't all that difficult to connect and it shows - at least - by going to these extreme efforts to hide their funding sources demonstrates awareness that what they were doing was wrong. It will be a fun chapter to look back on and ask "what the hell were they thinking?"

"Klatt's takes are shittier than a dog park trash can."

Lest we forget...

That's not his usual tone, either. More defensive than usual... he seems "shook" as the kids say.