Michigan penalties show NCAA punishments changing with times: Emptying wallets arrives as primary deterrent

College football is professional football, and the NCAA finally realized it.

The sign-stealing saga that’s hovered over Michigan since 2023 is finally — and mercifully — over. The NCAA’s Committee on Infractions handed down its verdict on Friday, and the headlines are straightforward … 

No vacated wins. No vacated title. No pretending those games didn’t happen.

But, the real punishment hits where it hurts the most in this day and age: the wallet.

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Robby Kalland

Michigan has been fined more than $20 million, thanks largely to the loss of postseason revenue over the next two seasons. That’s not a postseason ban; the Wolverines can still make the College Football Playoff or a bowl. They just won’t see a dime from either. Add in a $50,000 fine and a cut of 10% from the football program’s budget, and the financial sting becomes real.

This isn’t a brand-new approach for the NCAA. In recent years, the organization has shifted toward targeting schools and staff directly instead of punishing current players who had nothing to do with past infractions. But, outside of Tennessee’s $8 million fine in 2023, most penalties have been small enough to feel like add-ons rather than the main event.

Not this time.

Stripping more than $20 million from an athletic department changes behavior. In the current era with TV money, NIL deals and bloated coaching salaries, financial hits carry more weight than vacated wins or postseason bans. Those old-school punishments were symbolic. This is tangible.

It’s the first time I can remember feeling genuinely encouraged by an NCAA decision. For decades, the governing body seemed stuck in the past, clinging to outdated ideals. Now, maybe, it’s finally pulled its head out of the sand (or elsewhere) and recognized the truth.

College football is a business, and it has been for a long time. Now, the NCAA seems ready to start treating it like one. No more empty gestures — just empty their wallets.

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